Human to Gargoyle
by ZabuzasGirl
Summary: In New York a gargoyle is alone among his clan and each time he's thought he's found love his hopes are soon dashed. Somewhere else a young girl is alone, facing an abusive father with no one to save her. What if they were brought together? Brooklyn/Sata. Alternate take on how they meet and fall in love instead of in Timedancer series of the Gargoyles Saga.
1. Chapter 1

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 1

In New York City at a place known as the Eyrie Building there stood a large castle at the top of it which touched the clouds. On the castle walls stood creatures as old as time itself, gargoyles.

As the sun finally set above the city the gargoyles came to life and broke out of their stone sleep. Roars filled the air as they broke out of their stone skin and back into flesh. With yawns they stretched out their bodies and jumped down from their pedestals well most of them at least.

One of them remained on that pedestal of his while the others stepped off of theirs.

This clan of gargoyles in New York City was made up of mostly males with few females.

The eldest of this clan was an old gargoyle named Hudson. His hair was completely gray with his age. He was slightly on the chubby side but even though he was old he was still made of pure muscle. He was blind in one eye but that didn't stop him from being a good warrior to his clan before he stepped down from his position.

The leader of this clan is a tall lavender gargoyle named Goliath. Goliath was young and strong, if he were human he would be in his early thirties as he is now in gargoyle years. He was quite handsome for a gargoyle.

Two others in the clan were the same age as him. They were his brother and sister Othello and these two were, also, mates to each other.

Like Goliath, Othello's body was full of muscle, he was young and just as tall as his brother. Othello had a slight blue color on his body which made him look almost white but the blue gave him away. His hair was long and white. He had horns on the top of his head.

Desdemona was a beautiful young female gargoyle. Her coloring was of a lovely brown color like the shade that covered the trees. Her hair was golden and put in a braid on the back of her head. Her horns were placed right over her hair. She had a very nice figure and her body was like a models.

Another couple was even younger than the first. They were another lavender gargoyle and one that had an aquamarine coloring. The lavender one was the young female. Her name was Angela and she was the daughter of Goliath. She's beautiful, but she didn't have the looks of Desdemona. Her hair was as long and dark as her father's but she had it in a single braid going down her back. Even though she had the same coloring as her father she looked more like her mother who was an exile of the clan.

Angela's beloved, the aquamarine gargoyle, was known as Broadway. Out of all of them he was the biggest gargoyle in the clan because of all the fat on him. There was still plenty of muscle on him even though he was fat and this made him strong. He was bold on the head without any hair or horns. He loved to eat which would explain why he was so fat. He could look intimidating but he was actually quite sweet at heart. Broadway and Angela was a couple but they weren't mates quite yet. There were two others in their age group and they both were males.

These two other males were a small green gargoyle and a red brick gargoyle colored gargoyle. These two were both the same age as Broadway and Angelo. The small green gargoyle went by the name of Lexington. Lexington might've been the smallest of his clan, but he was the fastest and most intelligent of them. In his clan he was an expert on computer technology. As he has been said already what he lacked in strength was made up by his speed. He was completely bald like Broadway on the top of his head with no hair or horns. Also, unlike the others his wings weren't attached onto his back but onto his arms. They were like a bats wings.

Now as for the brick colored gargoyle he was different than his brothers. His name was Brooklyn and his hair was of the purest silver ever. He was the only one in his clan who bore a beak on his face. He, also, had horns on his head like some of the others in his clan. Brooklyn was a special one in this clan. A few years ago he was chosen by Goliath to be his second in command. So if anything happened to Goliath Brooklyn would be the new leader of the clan. Brooklyn was the only one who stayed on his pedestal when the others jumped down from theirs.

As soon as the clan moved off of their pedestals they all heard a voice coming from the doorway of the tower they were on. "Pardon me," it said.

They all turned in that direction as soon as they heard that voice. A tall young man stepped out of the doorway so the gargoyles could see him better. His name was Mr. Burnet with blond hair and glasses. He directed his next words at Goliath.

"Miss Elisa Maza is in the library, she's waiting for you down the stairs," he said.

Goliath nodded his head at Owens words and turned to the rest of his clan to give out their orders for the night. Goliath said "Othello, Desdemona, Brooklyn, Broadway, and Angela you'll be on patrol for tonight. Hudson, Lexington you'll remain here at the castle."

A smile appeared on Lexington's face when he heard this. He said "Great I need to work on the computer anyway."

Hudson now looked down at the dog like gargoyle creature next to him. I forgot to mention before but this gargoyle pet of theirs was called Bronx. Hudson said "Come on boy lets go see what's going on the television tonight."

Bronx barked and followed Hudson down the tower steps into the rest of the castle. Lexington followed them close behind his computer was in the same place they were going. Owen left a few seconds afterwards, as well.

Before Goliath could even move toward the steps Broadway voiced out a question. "What about breakfast," he asked.

Angela smiled and took her beloveds arm. "We'll get something while we're out Broadway. Come on the sooner we go the sooner we'll get back," she said.

Broadway smiled down at his beloved. They went back up onto the tower and glided off of it hand in hand. Their wings were made to glide not fly.

Desdemona took Othello's hand they both glided off the castle tower in a completely different direction.

Brooklyn jumped off after them as soon as they went into the air.

Goliath shouted after them "Watch your backs out there."

"We will," Brooklyn shouted right back at him. Brooklyn then picked up speed to catch up with the rest of his patrol group.

As he caught up with Broadway and Angela a sad look came upon his face and thoughts went through his mind. All of the couples were staying close to their beloveds as they were moving through the air over New York City.

Despair went through him, over the years he hadn't had much luck with the ladies. The first once was a young lady called Maggie but she fell in love with someone else. Next was Angela but she went for Broadway instead of him. Thoughts went through his head as he looked at this one couple.

"Will I ever find the mate for me," Brooklyn whispered. Oh he would find her all right. He would find her sooner than he thought and he wouldn't even know it. Also, his soul mate wouldn't be in the form he expected her to be. "Somewhere there's a mate for me, I just haven't found her yet."


	2. Chapter 2

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 2

Closing time, it was time to close up the shop. It was time to close up the book shop and head home.

I was getting my purse when my boss came out of the back room. "See you tomorrow Sata and this time be on time," he said.

I said "I won't be late again, sir. Good night." I now walked out of the bookstore and headed back to my home.

I meandered through the streets of the city which were filling up with end of the workday traffic and hoped I was headed toward downtown. Only I wasn't paying much attention to where I was going as I usually did.

I ran my finger through my hair a couple of times and took some deep breaths as I continued around the corner. I had a rough day at work today and I had plenty of things on my mind.

I started to realize as I crossed another road that I was going in the wrong direction. The little foot traffic I had seen was going north and it looked like the buildings here were mostly warehouses.

I decided to turn east at the next corner and then loop around after a few blocks. I tried my luck on a different street on my way back.

A group of four men turned around the corner I was heading for dressed too casually to be heading home from the office, but they were too grimy to be tourists.

As they approached me I realized they weren't too many years older than I was. They were joking loudly among themselves, laughing raucously and punching each other's arms.

I moved as far to the sidewalk as I could to give them room, walking swiftly, looking past them to the corner.

"Hey there," one of them called to me as they passed. He had to be talking to me since no one else was around.

I glanced up automatically. Two of them had passed, the other two were slowing. The closest a heavy set, dark haired man in his early twenties seemed to be the one who had spoken. He took a half a step toward me.

"Hello," I mumbled a knee jerk reaction. Then I quickly looked away and walked faster toward the corner.

I could hear them laughing at full volume behind me. "Hey, wait," one of them called after me again.

I kept my head down and rounded the corner with a sigh of relief. I could still hear them chortling behind me.

I was starting to relax after a little while when the sky suddenly darkened further. As I looked over my shoulder to glare at the offending cloud I realized with a shock that two men were walking quietly twenty feet behind me.

They were from the same group I passed at the corner through neither was the dark haired one who'd spoken to me.

I turned my head forward at once quickening my pace. A chill that had nothing to do with the weather made me shiver. My purse was on a shoulder strap and I had it slung across my body. This was the way you were supposed to wear it so it wouldn't get snatched. But a small, frightened voice inside me warned me that they might be something worse than thieves.

I listened intently to their quiet footsteps, which were much too quiet compared to the boisterous noise they'd been making earlier. It definitely didn't sound like they were speeding up or getting any closer to me.

"Breathe," I had to remind myself. "You don't know they're following you."

I continued to walk as fast as I could without actually running focusing on the right hand turn that was only a few yards away from me now. I could hear them staying as far back as they'd been before.

A blue car turned onto the street from the south and drove quickly past me. I thought of jumping out in front of it, but hesitated. Inhibited unsure that I was really being pursued and then it was far too late.

I reached the corner but a swift glance revealed that it was only a blind drive to the back of another building. I was half turned in anticipation. I had to hurriedly correct and dash across the narrow drive, back to the sidewalk. The street ended at the next corner where there was a stop sign.

I concentrated on the faint footsteps behind me deciding whether or not to run. They sounded farther back and I knew they could outrun me in any case. I was sure to trip and go sprawling if I tried to go any faster.

The footfalls were definitely farther back. I risked a quick glance over my shoulder and they were maybe forty feet back now, I saw with relief. But they were both staring at me.

It seemed to take forever for me to get to the corner.

I kept my pace steady, the men behind me falling ever so slightly farther behind with every step. Maybe they realized they had scared me and were sorry.

I saw two cars going north pass the intersection I was heading for and I exhaled in relief. There would be more people around once I got off this deserted street. I skipped around the corner with a grateful sigh.

And I skidded to a stop.

The street was lined on both sides by blank, door less, windowless walls. I could see in the distance, two intersections down, street lamps, cars, and more pedestrians.

Only they were all too far away.

Because lounging against the western building midway down the street was the other two men from the group. They were both watching with excited smiles as I froze dead on the sidewalk. I realized then that I wasn't being followed I was being herded.

I paused for only a second but it felt like a very long time. I turned and then darted to the others side of the road. I had a sinking feeling that it was a wasted attempt.

The footsteps behind me were louder now.

"There you are!" The booming voice of the stocky, dark haired man shattered the intense quiet and made me jump. In the gathering darkness it seemed like he was looking past me.

"Yeah," a voice called loudly from behind me, making me jump again as I tried to hurry down the street. "We just took a little detour."

My steps had to slow now. I was closing the distance between myself and the lounging pair too quickly.

I had a good loud scream and I sucked in air preparing to use it. Only my throat was so dry I wasn't sure how much volume I could manage.

With a quick movement I slipped my purse over my head while gripping the strap with one hand, ready to surrender it or use it as a weapon need was demanded.

The thickest man shrugged away from the wall as I warily came to a stop and walked slowly into the street.

"Stay away from me," I warned in a voice that was supposed to sound strong and fearless. But I was right about the dry throat-no volume.

I braced myself, feet apart trying to remember through my panic what little self-defense I knew. Heel of the hand thrust upward hopefully breaking the nose or shoving it into the brain. Finger through the eye socket – try to hook around and pop the eye out. Also the standard knee to the grown of course.

That same pessimistic voice in my mind spoke up then reminding me that I probably wouldn't have a chance against one of them and there were four.

"Shut up"! I commanded the voice of terror that could incapacitate me. I wasn't going out without taking someone with me.

I tried to swallow so I could build up a decent scream.

Before I could even work out a scream to use I was surrounded by them. One of them brought out his hand and stroked my back. I flinched as he did so and the others brought out their hands to touch my body.

Suddenly roars and screeches filled the air and my molesters stopped stroking my body. These men looked up and I saw the expressions on the faces of the men around me turn into ones of horror.

Before I knew what was happening large forms appeared around us and less than a second later a brawl had begun.

I could still hear screeches and roars so I got scared and ran out of the fight zone. I didn't get far before a rough hand grabbed my arm.

"Where do you think you're going lovely," someone said.

It was one of the men who tried to molest me.

I screamed at the top of my lungs and tried to get away from him. My scream reached the ears of one of my rescuers and he broke away from the thug he was fighting to come to my aid. With a roar he pulled the thug off of me and threw him into the wall.

When he pulled the thug off of me I was knocked flat onto the ground. I lifted up my head from the ground and saw my rescuer standing over me ready to defend me. When I did see him I found a big surprise.

My rescuer was a gargoyle. I looked around him and saw that the others with him were gargoyles too.

The guy this one gargoyle threw had gotten back up onto his feet and he looked ready to fight again until he looked into the gargoyles eyes. The guy then turned tail and ran like the coward he was. As usual with thugs as soon as one left the others followed.

Once the danger had passed the gargoyle standing over me eased out of his defensive position and turned full toward me. He bent down and held out a four fingered talon hand to me. "Are you all right," he asked.

I nodded my head and put my hand in his. I could tell by the gargoyles voice that it was a guy and also by the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt.

Once I was on my feet the gargoyle let go of my hand and I was able to get a good look at him.

He was about a head taller than me, muscular, and he had brick colored skin. He didn't look that much older than me just by two to three years. He had a beak on his face, horns on the top of his head, and long hair of the purest silver I had ever seen. His wings were so beautiful I couldn't take my eyes off of them.

I cocked my head to the side a little bit and I stretched out my hand to touch one of his wings. His body tensed a little but he didn't move away. After a moment I brought my hand away from his wing and back to my side.

I smiled at him and said "Thank you for saving me."

The gargoyle blinked in surprise although I didn't know why. He said "Your welcome but aren't you scared of me?"

Now it was my turn to be surprised. My smile disappeared and a thoughtful look appeared on my face instead. "Should I be," I asked him.

This surprised the gargoyle even more than before. While we had been talking his companions were climbing the walls of one of the buildings. The gargoyle I was talking to noticed this and now went to join them.

At the same time I turned my back to the gargoyles and headed down to where I saw those other groups of people. Right when I left the passageway the gargoyles spread their wings and took off back into the sky. The night was young and these guys still had the whole night to finish their patrol.

I managed to get home a lot faster now without anything else to delay me and a good thing too. The reason for this was that my father was going to be really hungry by now and by the look of things I was going to be late making dinner for him. Because of those thugs back there I had gotten home a lot later than I wanted to. To be home late was one thing, but to get home late while my father was starving was a very big mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 3

I lived in downtown New York with my father far from the main part of the city where all of the rich people walked around and had fun. The neighborhood where we lived in was full of gangs, drug dealers, and plenty of drunks.

I'm sorry to say that my father was one of those drunks. He drank nonstop all the time and that was one of the many reasons why I didn't want to get him angry at me. With all of the beer and alcohol he drinks it increases his anger tenfold.

Once I got to the section I lived in it wasn't long before I came to the apartment I shared with my father. Well it was actually a house but it seemed more like an apartment to me. The place wasn't much to look at on its surface. It wasn't in very good shape at all but it was still good enough to live in. The inside of the house was just the same as the outside of it.

I went to the front door and opened it up. A moment later I was inside the house.

Right when I walked in and closed the door I heard my name yelled out for everyone to hear.

"Sata!"

"I'm home, Otto-san," I called.

"Sata get in here now," shouted my father.

I didn't dare to disobey him so I did as he said and went into the kitchen. My father was sitting in the kitchen and as to be expected he was surrounded by beer bottles. My father was holding one right now, but unlike the others this one was full. My father was very angry I could see it on his face as I walked into the kitchen.

"What the hell took you so long? I've been waiting practically for hours and I come home to find nothing even on the table yet," father shouted.

I said "Forgive me, Otto-san, I was delayed."

"Lies," he shouted and threw at me the beer bottle ended up hitting the wall than my face. The glass shattered into different pieces and the liquid inside of it splattered all over me. I knew I would have to take a shower soon if I didn't want to smell like beer for a few days. "Get me my dinner now," demanded father.

"Yes sir," I said, quickly getting to work before he did anything else to me.

I then got out some ports and pans along with some food. I then started to make dinner for him on the stove with anything I could find for him to eat. My father was only calm whenever he had a full stomach but this was extremely rare.

In case you didn't figure it out by now my name is Sata. Many people would actually call me Sata-chan to be polite but I mostly just liked to be called Sata. My name is Sata Sagara and I was seventeen years old. I was born in Japan but my family moved here to America when I was very small. I learned to speak Japanese at a young age, but I rarely use it to speak to people. Even though I practically lived in New York my whole life I still knew plenty about Japan. My father's name is Yoshi Sagara and my mother's name was Tang Shen. My mother died four years ago when I was thirteen years of age. She was the one who taught me how to speak Japanese.

My father was getting impatient, he wasn't going to wait for his food much longer. "Where is it Sata," he snarled.

I said "Here it is, Otto-san." I put his dinner on a plate I had out for him and set it down in front of him on the dinner table. He picked up the fork and immediately started eating as soon as I put it in front of him.

While he was eating I took this opportunity to leave the kitchen and head up stairs to my room. Unfortunately I wasn't able to get far before my father spoke to me again.

He said "Where do you think you're going?"

"Upstairs, Otto-san," I said.

He snickered at me. "Who said anything about going upstairs? You still have work to do."

"Otto-san, please I'm very tired," I said. Right after I said this to my father I knew that I had made a big mistake.

That angry look came upon his face again and he jumped out of his seat. I knew what was coming next but I didn't have any time to move for my father grabbed my arm to keep me where I was and slapped me hard across the face. I yelped when he hit me, but I held in my tears.

My father said "You will do as I say, Sata! Now get to work!" My father shoved me out of the kitchen.

I went to do my chores around the house. I had to clean the entire first floor.

As I was cleaning up my thoughts kept going back to my mother Tang Shen. Before she died she did everything I was doing right now which was cooking for my father, doing all of the housework, and getting beating daily by my father. I was his daughter, but I was practically a slave to him in my own home. The only safe moments I had away from my father since my mother's death were when I was either at school or at work.

When my mom was alive she had to go to work for a living to keep us where we were. My mother never went to college but unlike my father she did make it through high school. She had a high school diploma which did allow her to get good jobs. It wasn't one that gave us a lot of money, but it managed to keep us alive. Although my mother always got the money to get us food, clothes, and pay the bills he was never really happy with her working. He put up with it because he knew he didn't have a choice. The same was with me now not long after she died I had to find work to earn money so we wouldn't be turned out into the streets.

Since I was very young at the time I couldn't get a decent job like my mother's for a while so I made a lot less money than she ever did. Also, unlike other kids who went out to play after school I was stuck working at different jobs and slaving at home doing all of the house work. My father beat me every time I disobeyed him or did anything wrong like you saw before. The beating especially happened when I was younger and since my mother was no longer around to protect me he could get away with it.

It was hours before I had finished doing all of the cleaning I was supposed to do and even more stuff my father kept pushing on me. It was nearly close to midnight when I had finished everything and sneaked up stairs away from my father.

You see he finished eating about two hours ago and went to the only other room on the first floor to watch television. He always flopped down on a battered up old couch to watch television and drank bottles of beer until he fell asleep.

The first thing I went to do was to go in for a shower. It was definitely too late to take a nice long shower so I had to settle for a short one. After I was done with taking my shower, brushing my teeth, and washing my face I tiptoed to my room. I didn't want to wake my father from his slumber and get him angry at me again. I couldn't face another beating again especially not tonight. I had a ton of homework to do and even though it was so late I had to get it done.

My own room was the same as the rest of the house but over the years I had managed to make it look as good as it possibly could.

Most of the money I made from the jobs I could get over the years went to my dad he always took away most of it to get all of his beer and drugs. That stuff was an extremely big addiction to him. More of it went to the bills that had to be paid. Whatever was left over I took for myself and every time it wasn't much, but it was good enough for me.

As soon as I went inside my room I immediately sat down and started to do my homework under a light by my bed. It was always a struggle for me to do all of my school assignments. With all of the chores and hours at my job I had to do I hardly had time to do any of it. I just had to make do with what I had. I stayed up well late into the night and I eventually fell asleep a few hours before dawn surrounded by all of my school work.

At the Eyrie Building the gargoyles which weren't on the patrol were starting to get ready for dawn. At the television Hudson was still watching TV with Bronx at his feet. Bronx stretched out his legs and opened his mouth in a big yawn.

Hudson said "All right boy time to get some sleep." Bronx got up from his seat and left the room where he was watching TV.

Goliath was in the castles library talking to his beloved Elisa Maza. This would come as a surprise to many because Elisa Maza wasn't a gargoyle. She was a human female. People who didn't understand the relationship between these two would think they were a disgrace. Only people who did understand their relationship would definitely think they were wonderful together. Elisa is a detective for the New York police department.

Lexington finished his work on that computer of his hours ago and he was playing with Alexander Xanatos the son of Fox and Zander Xanatos. Alexander was only a few years old and he loved being with the gargoyles.

Hudson and Bronx passed Alexander's nursery on their way up to the tower. The door was already opened when the two of them reached it.

Hudson looked inside and saw Lexington playing with little Alexander on the floor. Bronx woofed and trotted over to where the two of them were playing.

Alex squealed with delight as he was practically bawled over by Bronx as the gargoyle mutt went right into him. He laughed so hard as Bronx started to lick his face all over with his big soft tongue.

Hudson came over and slapped Bronx on the rump. "All right boy get off the lad," he said.

Bronx did as he was told and got off of little Alex. When he did Alex wrapped his arms around the gargoyle dog's neck and gave him a big hug.

Hudson then turned to Lexington. "Come along lad dawn is approaching," he said.

Lexington seemed surprised when Hudson said this to him. He said "That was fast the nights have certainly been getting shorter lately."

Hudson nodded his head at this. "That they are lad, now come on its almost time," Hudson said.

Lexington nodded and got up from the floor. Lexington tickled Alexander under the chin before he left the nursery with Hudson and Bronx. "See you tomorrow night little buddy," he said.

These three met up with Goliath on their way up to their sleeping spots on the top of the tallest tower.

Elisa had gone back home to her apartment to get some sleep. She always had the night shift when it came to her job so like the gargoyles she slept during the day. Goliath had said his good byes and the two of them left in their separate ways for the night.

As these four headed up to their sleeping spots the patrol group had just returned from their patrol of the city. Othello and Desdemona had made it back a lot earlier than the other three so they weren't with this group.

Broadway, Angela, and Brooklyn went a little slow as they came in for their landing. When they did they were laughing and talking about the nights patrol as they did so.

At the same time the other four Goliath, Hudson, Lexington, and Bronx appeared from the towers entry way.

Goliath head what Broadway just said and a slight smile appeared on his face. Goliath said "So it was a good night then?" "Yeah, not a bad one at all," said Broadway.

"We stopped a few robberies, some muggings, and an assault. As usual they were afraid of us," Brooklyn said.

Just then a certain memory came into Brooklyn's mind, but he kept his thoughts to himself.

Angela had the same thoughts as well, but unlike Brooklyn, she voiced out. She said "What about that girl we saved from those muggers? She seemed nice."

"Yeah she actually thanked us," Broadway said.

Hudson said "Now that's a surprise."

"Yeah we were surprised too," Broadway said.

Angela said "This just goes to show that humans are really starting to accept us."

"Not all of them," Lexington said.

Angela gave him a dark look and was about to say something when her father interrupted her.

Goliath said "Enough let's get some sleep dawn is upon us."

No one said anything to contradict Goliath. They remained silent and went to their pedestals. They all took up their positions where they were supposed to be on their pedestals.

Goliath took his spot over the rest of them at the flat area at the top of the tower. Once on his pedestal Goliath looked down to check on the rest of his clan before sunrise. When he did he noticed a strange look on Brooklyn's face as he looked into the city facing the direction of the sun.

Goliath said "Brooklyn."

"Hmm," said Brooklyn. He turned his head away from the horizon and up toward Goliath. "Yes, what is it," he asked.

Goliath went down to his kneeling position on his pedestal and spoke to his second in command. "Is everything all right Brooklyn? Your mind seems to be elsewhere at the moment," he asked.

Brooklyn said "I'm all right Goliath it's nothing to worry about."

"So there is something bothering you," Goliath said.

Brooklyn said quickly "Uh no it's nothing bothering me Goliath I'm just a little tired after this nights patrol."

"Is that so," said Goliath. Goliath raised an eyebrow, he still wasn't so convinced that everything was fine but he was going to leave things be for now.

Knowing that their conversation was now over Brooklyn turned his gaze away from Goliath and back over the city. Before the sun rose and he turned to stone he returned back to what he was thinking when he was interrupted by Goliath.

His thoughts kept on going back to that young woman he and his comrades had saved from those assaulting thugs, me. He still couldn't get over the way I acted after he and his clan got rid of his assaulters. I was so calm when I saw what he was and he couldn't figure out why. Not many humans who have seen his kind have reacted the way she did. She wasn't even afraid of him.

Just as the sun was about to rise another few things came into his head. When her hands touched his wings my touch wasn't rough and pushy, but it was gentle and soft.

He thought "Her looks aren't too bad either and she wasn't even afraid of us. It looks like we might have a new friend."

A moment later Brooklyn realized something else and it completely changed his entire composure. "Jalapena I forgot to get her name," he said. But at that moment the sun's rays hit him and he along with the rest of his clan turned to stone on the spot for the day.


	4. Chapter 4

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 4

"Sata, Sata, Sata," someone kept whispering my name behind me.

I finally broke out of my day dream and turned my attention over to my teacher.

My teacher was staring at me expectantly. "The answer Sata," he said.

Now I knew what was going on here. The teacher had asked me a question a moment ago and I wasn't paying attention so I didn't hear it. Because of my silence my teacher knew that I hadn't been listening to a word he was saying before. "Stand up," he said.

I did as he said and got out of my seat. I then explained myself to him. "I don't know sir. I wasn't paying attention," I said to him.

He said "You haven't been attention all week."

"I'm sorry, sir," I said.

"Jenna, will you help Sata," he asked the girl behind me.

"Yes, sir," she said. As she got up to give the answer our teacher had asked for I sat back down at my own desk.

I looked around and saw that many of the others students were looking at me with snicker on their faces. I brought my head down onto my arms on my desk to hide my face because I was embarrassed. I wanted to go back to what I was thinking about before.

A whole month had passed and I was still thinking about that one gargoyle. I had been thinking of him ever since that night he saved me. Sure the other gargoyles what were with him helped me as well, but he was the one I couldn't get out of my mind.

During the whole month since I'd seen him besides looking out of the window and day dreaming about him I had been drawing his image in my notebook and any other piece of paper I had. Even though it was dark that night with only the light of the moon shining on him I could remember every single detail about him.

In my lunch hour at school Jenna tried to get to the bottom of why I wasn't paying attention lately.

She said "What is with you lately? You usually pay attention in class but now you keep zoning out all the time."

I finished chewing a piece of food in my mouth and swallowed it so I could speak to her. "I just can't stop thinking about this guy Jenna. He rescued me, Jenna," I said.

She said "Whoa, how did that happen?" "A month ago I was on my way home when I ran into some thugs. Then he suddenly came out of nowhere with some friends of his and protected me from those jerks. Sure there were others at his side but I only had eyes for him."

Jenna was now really getting interested in what I was saying to her. "What did he look like," she asked me.

That got me thinking for a moment. I knew that my rescuer was a gargoyle but I couldn't tell her that. She'd tell everyone that she knew and it would spread all around the school in less than a day. It would spread to all of their families and I couldn't have that because of a group called the Quarrymen out there in the city. The Quarrymen were full of gargoyle haters and they were known for dealing with gargoyle sympathizers. So I decided to still tell Jenna about him but just leave out a few details.

I said "He was very handsome, Jenna. He was about a head taller than me, but you know I don't really care about height differences. He was so strong and muscular. Even in the moonlight I could tell that there were muscles all over his body. His hair was the purest silver I had ever seen it just shined in the light of the moon and. If I didn't know better I say there was a bit of a Scottish accent in his voice when he spoke to me but that accent in his voice just made him seem even better to me."

I had said all of this with a smile on my face while looking out into the sky.

Jenna shook her head with an even larger smile on her face when I was done speaking. "Man girl, you've got it bad," she said.

I turned to her with a confused expression on my face. "Got what," I asked her.

She said "You're love sick Sata that's what you've got."

"That's ridiculous, Jenna," I said.

"Oh no, it's not. You've should've seen your face as you were talking about this guy. You were all smiles and your eyes looked like they were somewhere else again. I mean it Sata you've really got it bad," she said.

I said "Is it that obvious?"

"Uh yeah," she said to me.

I let out a big sigh when she said this to me. "Guess I shouldn't have made my feelings so clear," I said to her. I then went back to eating my lunch and she did the same.

After a while Jenna leaned in closer to me this was always a sign that she wanted more dirt on a certain subject. She said "So what's his name? Come on tell me."

A sad look appeared on my face when she said this to me. "I don't know his name. He left with his friends before I could even ask him," I said.

A disappointed look appeared on her face after I said this to her. "Too bad, Sata, this guy sounds like your perfect match," she said.

I said "Yeah, it's too bad." We didn't talk the rest of the time we were eating we were just silent.

We didn't talk to each other for the rest of the day either at school. She seemed to realize that I wanted to be left alone for a while at the time.

After school I went straight to work at the bookstore, it wasn't too far from the school. It was just a couple of blocks away from the school and it wasn't too far from Central Park my favorite spot in all of New York City.

I started working as soon as I got there and as usual I put my purse and school bag in a nice safe place behind the cash register. My business for that day was to sort out the books and put them on their right spots on the shelves. It was actually quite rare I worked on the cash register I'm never very good at it. I only worked at the cash register only when we didn't have as many workers with us as usual.

I was actually a good worker among the other employees. Some of them would really slack off while others just took off when they want to without even telling the boss what they're doing. But because of my family situation I work twice as hard as the others and I have made twice as much money because of it.

I was by the front of the store at the time working on a display case for some new books from a famous author when I heard someone knocking on the stores window glass.

I looked up from my work and saw that the person on the others side of the glass was my friend Jenna. She was waving at me through the glass trying to get my attention.

I smiled at her and made a motion with my hand for her to come in and she did just that. "What is it, Jenna? You know I can't tale any breaks," I said to her.

She waved her hand dismissively at me. She said "Don't worry it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it," I asked her.

She said "I know exactly what to do to cheer you up. Wicked is playing tonight in the theater I've already got tickets. My sister was supposed to come but she quit on me at the last minute."

"I don't feel like going," I told her.

Jenna said "Come on, Sata, it's one of your favorite books and I know you want to see it."

"I want to, but I have to make dinner for my father and you know how he can get whenever he's hungry," I said.

"Then make him something before the show," said Jenna. "Come on, Sata, my parents won't let me go unless someone else is with me. You know how it is in the city at night."

She was right I did know how dangerous the city could be at night and I didn't want to spend it alone with my father. I eventually gave in and told Jenna I would go to see Wicked with her later that night.

Jenna was extremely pleased when I told her this. "What time is the show tonight, Jenna," I asked.

She said "It starts at around eight o'clock."

"Hmm, I'm gonna have to make dinner early for him tonight if I'm going to go," I said.

"So I'll come to your house at seven and we can walk from there," said Jenna.

"Sure that's fine with me but be very careful remember there are a lot of gangs and drug dealers where I live," I told her.

Just then a voice interrupted our conversation. "Sata," it said.

The two of us looked around and saw my boss standing not too far away from the two of us. "Sata, get back to work," he said.

I said "Yes, sir."

"I'll see you later," said Jenna. She left right there because she knew a lot better than to argue with my boss. She left the store right after that and I went back to work on my book display.

A few hours went by and it was time to close the store, but not before I got my paycheck from my boss like the rest of them. As soon as I got my pay for the week I got my school bag, my purse and left the store.

On my way home I went to the bank and cashed my paycheck. I needed that money for the entire week until my next pay day. When the bank gave me my money I went home as quickly as I could. I wanted to make dinner quickly for my father so that I would have time to get ready to go to the theater tonight.

I passed a few drug dealers in my neighborhood on my way home, but they didn't give me any trouble. They knew who my father was and he was one of their best customers so they left me well enough alone.

I got home soon enough and I went straight inside as soon as I got there. "Otto-san, I'm home," I said as soon as I walked into the house.

I found my dad watching the TV on the couch and as usual with a beer bottle in his hand. "Otto-san I'm going to be out late with Jenna tonight," I said. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Make whatever there is, I don't care," he said to me.

I ran upstairs to put my stuff away and went back downstairs into the kitchen. I hadn't gone to the market yet because I had been waiting on my paycheck. So I was going to have to make some leftovers for my father tonight. I just had to warm it up and I put it out in front of him on the couch. I did the rest of my chores as soon as I put dinner down in front of him. This way I wouldn't have any objections from my father when I went out with Jenna tonight.

As soon as I was done with my chores I checked the time of the clock up on the wall. It wasn't much longer until Jenna came to pick me up for our night out. I had really cut it very close this time.

Jenna came to our house and knocked on the door at the exact same time I finished getting dressed for our girl's night out. I had just gotten my shoes on when I heard her knock on the door.

"I'll get it," I yelled. I ran downstairs and opened the front door before my daddy could get to it.

I found Jenna smiling at me on the other side of the door. "Ready to go," she asked me.

I said "Yeah, just give me a second. Otto-san, I'll be out late tonight!"

Before he could give me any objections and pull me back inside I closed the door to the house. Jenna ran down the street with me to the nearest bus stop which was about two blocks away from my house. We had to run in order to make it there on time. We just made it too the bus was just about to leave when we got there. We were out of breath and laughing when the two of us got on the bus.

Jenna was the first of the two of us to speak once we had stopped laughing. "So Sata do you think you'll see that guy tonight," she asked me.

The laughter left my face and it turned sad once again. I said "I don't know, Jenna, it's been over a month since I've seen him and honestly I doubt I'll ever see him again. I just don't think that he'd be that interested in me."

Jenna patted me on the back. "Don't be so hard on yourself maybe he is interested in you. Who knows he may be thinking about you right now," she said.

I smiled at her still with that sad look on my face but didn't say anything to her this time. We made it to the theater to see Wicked with plenty of time to spare.

A few minutes before the show started I had gotten to thinking. Jenna's words had gotten to me a little bit on the bus. Maybe that guy does like me, I thought. But then I shook my head and the thought left my mind. No, he's a gargoyle he wouldn't be interested in me. He'd want to have someone of his own kind as his girlfriend.

But as it turns out I was completely wrong about my opinion of him. The gargoyle I liked was thinking about me as much as I was thinking about him. Unfortunately for him it was keeping him from doing his duties as second in command to his clan.

Brooklyn was going through all of the same problems as me.

Brooklyn was once again picked to go out on patrol around the city, but this time with some different members of the clan than before. This time Brooklyn was out on the patrol with Goliath and the old gargoyle Hudson.

They were patrolling the skies and it didn't seem like there was any trouble for them that night. It was so quiet that Goliath and Hudson were actually thinking about going back to the castle a little early.

After a while Hudson turned to Goliath with a nice relaxed look on his face. He said "It's a quiet night eh, lad?"

"Yes it is unusually quiet tonight," Goliath said.

Hudson said "What say we go back early tonight. Is it quiet enough for us to turn in early."

Goliath wasn't so sure about that. He said "Well I don't know dawn is still a few hours away."

"Ah don't you give me that lad I know you want to see Elisa before the nights end," Hudson said this with a smile on his face.

Goliath blushed a little bit when Hudson said this to him. Goliath did want to spend some time with Elisa but he still didn't want to go back in case something did happen.

Since he couldn't make up his mind Goliath decided to ask Brooklyn what he thought about the idea. "What do you think Brooklyn," he asked him.

But Brooklyn didn't answer him his mind was on other things. "Brooklyn," said Goliath. This time Goliath moved closer to him and nudged Brooklyn with his arm. "Brooklyn," Goliath said again.

This time Goliath managed to get Brooklyns attention. "Huh, what were you saying Goliath," Brooklyn said.

Goliath said "I was asking you what you thought about turning in early."

"Oh well, I don't know," said Brooklyn.

Goliath said "What is with you latel,y Brooklyn? Every time you're on duty your mind seems to be somewhere else. It's been interfering with your work on patrols and that is not acceptable."

Brooklyn let out a big sigh and shook his head. "I'm sorry Goliath it won't happen again," he said to the leader.

Goliath said "It better not. Now tell me what you think."

Brooklyn just shrugged and he said "Whatever you think is fine with me Goliath."

Goliath nodded his head in approval at Brooklyns answer. "Then let's get back to the castle."

Without another word the three of them turned their course in the air and headed back to the castle for the night. But something happened to completely change the plans of one of them.

As the three of them turned their course back toward the castle Brooklyn looked back down at the city and brought his head back up.

Suddenly he snapped his head back down to get a second look at something. What he saw confirmed what he was thinking and his eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Down below just coming out of the theater was the young women he had saved from that group of thugs just over a month ago. Just a few seconds ago he was thinking about her and then as if by magic there she was.

A wide smile appeared on Brooklyns face when he saw her. But it quickly disappeared when he saw her walking away down the street in the opposite direction.

Brooklyn was going to have to think fast or he would lose her. Brooklyn then spoke quickly to his leader. "Uh, Goliath, I've changed my mind. You guys can go back to the castle. I think I'll patrol some more," he said.

Goliath looked at him with a raised brow ridge but he didn't object to Brooklyns choice. Goliath said "All right just be sure you're back before dawn."

"Got it," said Brooklyn.

Not wasting a moment Brooklyn glided away from Goliath and Hudson. He flew off in a completely different direction than where they were going.

Goliath and Hudson both raised their brow ridges when they saw how fast their clan mate was flying away from the two of them.

"Now what do you think that was about? A few minutes ago he was completely ready to head back home. Suddenly his mood changes and he wants to stay on patrol," Goliath said.

Hudson nodded his head in agreement to what Goliath was saying to him. "Aye lad, it is strange indeed but forget it for now. It's probably just a phase he's going through."

"You're right, Hudson, I'm probably worrying over nothing," Goliath said.

Brooklyn was flying back over that street where he saw that young woman. He'd lost sight of her for a few seconds while he was talking to the other two. So he wanted to try and find her while he still had the chance.

"Come on, come on, where is she," whispered Brooklyn.

It didn't take long before he found her. In the sky he had a perfect view of what was going on below him so it made it easier for him to find her. When he did a wide smile appeared on his face. "Found her," he said.

The young woman he was looking for was walking down the street and she wasn't alone too. Brooklyn noticed that someone else was walking with her.

Coming to a decision Brooklyn decided to keep his distance for a while. He flew a little bit higher into the sky so it would make it harder for anyone to spot him. But not too high so that he would still be able to keep me in his sights.


	5. Chapter 5

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 5

Jenna was quite happy with tonight's show. She had a big smile on her face. "Man that show was great. Everything in the play was perfect especially the guys. I mean that one guy was extremely handsome. What did you think Sata," she asked me.

I made a face at her. I said "The actors were all right but I didn't think that any of them were handsome."

"Oh, come on Sata there must've been at least one of the guys on stage that you liked," she said.

I said "I already told you Jenna none of the men up on the stage interested me. Now put a sock in it."

Jenna held up her hands palms out defensively at me as if trying to fend off an attack.

"All right, all right I'll stop. So if you didn't like any of the guys what did you like about the performance," she asked me.

I just shrugged me shoulders. "I liked the music but nothing else in it really caught my attention. To be quite honest I like the book a lot better it has a lot more detail in it. The book doesn't skip any parts unlike the play," I said.

Jenna made a face and let out a big sigh.

Then suddenly a smile appeared on my face and I decided to have some fun with her. "Although whenever I go see something with you it's always the same thing. Boring and it never seems to catch my interest. That is so like you Jenna you never come up with any good ideas," I said, smiling.

"Hey," shouted Jenna.

I laughed and ran down the street with Jenna chasing me behind my back keeping up with me.

During this time the two of us didn't notice someone was following us.

While we were running Brooklyn picked up speed in the sky in order to keep up with us, but he stopped when we stopped right at the end of this one block.

When the two of us stopped to catch our breath he did too. He landed on the building right above us. It was at a pretty high point so he was able to keep an eye on us without being seen. Also, the building was low enough so he could hear everything we were saying.

Jenna and I were both still smiling as we were catching our breath. As Brooklyn looked down at us a smile appeared on his face as well too. The reason for this is because he liked the look on my face when I smiled. He listened very closely to what the two of us were saying.

Jenna said "Look, Sata, are you sure you don't want me to walk you home? Your place is still a long way from here."

I waved my hand at her. I said "No it's all right if I take a bus it won't take me long to get home."

Jenna still didn't like this idea but she agreed with me on this. "All right, if you're sure," she said to me.

I gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry about me I'll be fine," I told her.

Just then the two of us started to feel some water falling onto our bodies. We looked up and saw that it was coming from the sky, it was starting to rain.

I said "You'd better run, Jenna, you're house isn't too far from here. You could probably make it if you run."

"What about you," asked Jenna.

"I could probably make it if I run too," I said. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, bye," said Jenna.

The rain was starting to come down harder now. Jenna went in one direction while I went in the other.

As we went our separate ways Brooklyn only had eyes for me as I headed down the way. But when he saw me reach a certain point he didn't like what he saw one bit.

When I turned a corner to go down another block two big guys were there as well. He heard what the two of them said even at that distance. "Hey check it out man," spoke one of them.

Brooklyn saw the two of them look at each other and nodded their heads in unison. "Come on," said the other.

A moment later Brooklyn saw the two of them take off after me down the next block. Brooklyns eyes narrowed when he saw this. He could sense that there was going to be trouble. Brooklyn spread out his wings and glided off of the building he was standing on to follow the two of those men. He landed on a building on the same block we were on and kept moving from one building to another instead of flying in order to keep up with us.

I knew two men were following me and what their intentions were thanks to experience. So I knew what to do.

Behind me the men were making calls and trying to get my attention. "Hey where are you going baby come on," said one of them.

I didn't really pay any attention to them. I only wanted to get away and thanks to experience I knew what to do. The bus stop I was heading for was still a few blocks away and the time it would take to get there was going to be too long for my taste. So I decided to pick up the speed.

I started to move my feet even faster down the street but these two guys just matched my speed step for step. Moving down the street none of us noticed the figure that was following the three of us in the shadows.

Those two guys were still behind me calling and trying to get my attention. I was about halfway to the bus stop when it happened.

I went to make a turn, but a third guy appeared and blocked my path. I went to turn the other way, but then a forth guy appeared. This wasn't good. It was then that I made a run for it.

I made a beeline down the street, but these guys just laughed at me and matched my movements. I went onto one of the sidewalks only this wasn't a good move on my part since they trapped me against the wall of a rundown apartment building.

One of them made smooching noises at me and another one made woofing noised of a dog at me. The one making the dog noises at me grabbed my shoulder and tried to turn me around. As I turned I used my purse as a weapon and hit this guy right in the crotch. Suddenly two of them grabbed me and pushed me against the wall while the one I had just kicked brought out a knife. The forth one now joined in with the other three.

Fortunately for me before these four could do anything harmful to me the unexpected happened. A large tail came out of nowhere and the end of it wrapped around the bodies of the guys around me and flung them outside the street away from me.

When I knew those four were off of me I turned around to see what was happening and when I did I couldn't believe my eyes.

My savior was the red gargoyle.

The four guys were attacking him from all sides. There was no need to worry about him because he was handling things just fine. His strength and speed gave him a really big advantage over these guys. These four didn't have any experience in fighting so it made things much easier for my rescuer to defeat them. For the gargoyle it took only a matter of minutes.

As the fight was occurring I was watching the gargoyle with complete awe the whole time. He looked so magnificent out there.

When all four of these guys came too close to him he lifted them all into the air with his hands and tail. The next thing he did was to throw them a good distance down the end of the street. Those four had, had enough of this.

The guy with the knife seemed to be the leader of this little gang. He must've sent some kind of signal to the other three because at a certain time all three of them suddenly got up and ran.

The gargoyle was still standing in front of me the entire time with his wings spread out on either side of him. Also, I heard a growl come out of him and I could just imagine his eyes glowing the same as last time. With his wings spread out while standing at his fullest height with that scary expression on his face would definitely be a good method to intimidate those others guys. This would definitely be a good way to keep them from coming back.

Another thought came into my head, as well. He was in this position not just to look threatening, but incase those guys changed their minds and came back for a second round.

As soon as those guys were out of sight his composure changed. The gargoyles position changed from being threatening to be more calm and relaxed.

That is until he saw me standing where I was looking right at him.

I started to walk toward him but he retreated into an ally close by him.

"Wait," I said. I looked into the ally but when I did he wasn't there. I looked around into the sky to see if he was there, but I couldn't see him.

Then I heard his voice from behind me. "You have a knack for getting into trouble," he said.

I turned around with a smile on my face. I found him sitting on the stairs of one of the fire escape.

"You have a knack for saving my life. I think I have a superhero stalker," I told him.

"I was in the neighborhood," he said. I moved closer to him until I was only inches away.

"You are amazing," I told him.

He said "Some people don't think so." He shrugged his shoulders as he said this to me.

I now noticed he had his wings caped around his shoulders. I looked at him softly in the eyes. "But you are," I told him.

A smile appeared on his face when I said this to him. "Nice to have a fan," he said to me. He then slowly got off of the fire escape stairs and back up onto his feet.

He said "You know the last time we meet I never got your name."

I smiled at him again. I said "It's Sata, Sata Sagara." "Sata, I like that. It has a nice ring to it."

"And your name," I asked.

"It's Brooklyn," he said.

A look of amusement appeared on my face when he told me his name. "Brooklyn? That's your name, I said.

"I know," he said, rubbing his neck, "it's corny but…"

"Oh no, no I like it, it suits you perfectly. You seem like a Brooklyn to me," I told him.

His smile grew a bit bigger.

My eyes softened with the next thing I said to him. "Do I get to say thank you this time," I asked.

Brooklyn blinked his eyes at me in surprise. "You already thanked me last time," he said.

I said "Yes, I did thank you, but it was not the way I wanted to."

Right then I brought up my arms and gently cupped his beak in my hands. I started to move my face closer to his.

"Wait," he said. I stopped where I was, but only for a moment. After a few seconds I continued with what I was doing. I now closed my eyes as I slowly brought my face to his.

Brooklyn couldn't think of what to do as he watched my face move closer to his, he was in shock. Once he managed to get over his shock he knew what he needed to do, Brooklyn relaxed and closes his eyes. Since his beak wasn't like a regular mouth he had to pucker it out to get I tin the right position for what was to come next, He brought his face closer to mine and then our lips met.

When our lips met it was just like what I had heard from many other people around me it was like fireworks. Without realizing it I had taken my hands from his beak and wrapped my arms around his neck. I don't know how much time passed while the two of us were in that kiss but all I knew was that I didn't want to let go.

Eventually the two of us did have to separate from the kiss. This was when the two of us heard some kind of vehicle coming our way. We released each other and turned in the direction of the sound.

The bus I was waiting for had just arrived at its stop.

I turned back to Brooklyn to say good bye, but when I did I saw that he was already on his way. He was climbing up one of the apartment buildings in a shadowed part of it. Even more rain landed on my face as I watched him climb up to the top of the building.

I didn't stick around to see what he was going to do next. I needed to get this one or I was going to walk the rest of the way home alone in the rain. So I turned my gaze away from Brooklyn and ran straight for the bus waving my arms in order to get the driver to notice me. I didn't want the driver to leave without me and I made it just in time.

The driver was about to leave without me when I got there. There weren't many people on the bus besides myself. I took a seat in the back and the driver started to drive down the street.

At the same time Brooklyn who was standing on top of an apartment building took off into the sky in order to follow that bus.

On my way home I kept looking out of my window with an excited expression on my face. I kept replaying the last few events through my mind. I honestly couldn't believe what had just happened to me. I had kissed a gargoyle and found my man.

When it came to my stop it was still raining outside, but not as hard as it was a few minutes ago. My house was very close by so I didn't have much farther to go once I got off of the bus. But what was ironic was when I reached my house.

As soon as I reached the door the rain came to a stop. Right when this happened I looked up into the sky and saw that the clouds had disappeared leaving the moon and the stars to take its place.

I looked up into the sky with an annoyed expression on my face. "Oh yeah, now you stop raining," I told it.

I then turned back to the first layer of the door which was made of glass in front of the wooden part behind it. I was just about to open it when I noticed an image inside the glass and this stopped me in my tracks.

I looked closely at the shadowed figure inside the glass and it wasn't long before I recognized it. When I did a large smile immediately appeared on my face.

I turned around and blew a kiss at my admirer before I opened the door and went inside my house.

As soon as I closed the door Brooklyn got up from his kneeling position with an extremely big smile on his face. After a few seconds he opened his wings and jumped out into the air and. Brooklyn let out a big shout as he did so. "Jalapena," he shouted.

The next thing he did was turn right around and head back home. Brooklyn just made it too because it was nearly dawn when he returned back to the Eyrie Building.

Goliath was really starting to get irritated. When he left Brooklyn on patrol a few hours ago he had told his second in command to be back before dawn. It was now a couple of minutes before dawn and Brooklyn were still not back from his patrol.

Goliath was pacing on the top of the tower where he and his clan usually slept during the day with his beloved Elisa Maza with him. She was tall for a human, female but she only reached his shoulder. She had a nice body for a police detective. Like Goliath she had long dark hair but it was of a slightly lighter shade than his.

Elisa was doing her best to try and calm him down. She said "I'm sure he'll be here soon Goliath he's never been late before."

"Well he'd better not be this time or he's gonna find himself out of his position," Goliath growled.

Elisa said "Now there's no need for that he will be here on time." Even as she said this Elisa was actually starting to have some doubts about Brooklyn herself. Fortunately Brooklyn did make it on time and those thoughts quickly went away.

Brooklyn only made it moments before the sun came up and the others were moving into their positions.

Elisa was still at the top of the tower with Goliath when Brooklyn finally showed up.

"Where have you been," Goliath growled at him.

Brooklyn said "Sorry, Goliath, I lost track of the time."

"Next time be here a lot sooner," Goliath said, still had a big frown on his face.

Brooklyn knew that he wasn't going to let go of this so easily. Brooklyn took his position in between Broadway and Lexington.

Broadway said "Hey, cutting it close there were you buddy."

"Yeah, where were you," Lexington asked him.

Brooklyn said "As I told Goliath, I lost track of the time." Brooklyn then turned his head and turned it toward the coming sun.

After Brooklyn said what he did Broadway and Lexington both turned and looked at each other at the same time. Broadway and Lexington were both thinking the same exact thing. Brooklyn wasn't telling them everything. These two didn't have the chance to think anymore about it because a moment later the sun came up.

They all turned to stone on the spot and went into their own dreams. Brooklyns dreams were all about me and they were until he saw me again a few days later.


	6. Chapter 6

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 6

It was Monday morning and students were just getting to the school. I was at my locker when Jenna suddenly appeared at my side. I jumped when I saw her standing there and made a face at her.

This made her laugh and smile at me. "So how was your weekend," she asked me.

I said "It was all right but father wouldn't let me leave the house after Friday night. You know how he is he'd rather keep me in the house than have me out working. He only lets me out when he knows I have to get to work."

"That sucks, Sata," she said to me.

I nodded my head in agreement with her and closed the door of my locker. A moment later the two of us were walking down the hallway to our classroom. Jenna and I mostly had the same classes except for a select few that were different.

Right now we were heading for our English language class. This was one of my best classes, but, unfortunately, it wasn't for Jenna. Other students were just reaching their first period classes now too.

As the two of us reached our classroom we joined our other classmates as we took our seats at our desks. Our teacher wasn't in the room yet so we still had at least some time to talk which most of the other students were still doing. So Jenna and I got back to where we started before.

Jenna said "Okay now skipping all the boring stuff did anything interesting happen on your weekend?"

I was about to say no to her when a thought came to my head. I remembered Brooklyn and that small amount of time we had together. Yes, something definitely did happen to me during my weekend.

Jenna saw me pause when I was about to speak to her and because of this she knew that someone interesting did happen to me. She was about to speak again when I spoke up first.

"Yes," I said to her.

Jenna said "Come on, what was it? Out with it, girl."

A slight smile lit on my face when she said this to me. Jenna was always as eager as ever even when she didn't know what she was asking for.

"I met that guy again, Jenna," I said.

Jenna's eyes widened and she said "You did? When did this happen?"

"Right when you left me to go home after we saw Wicked on Friday," I answered.

"How did you meet," asked Jenna.

I told her how this group of guys had tried to assault me and how Brooklyn had intervened. Only I left out some parts about him and changed a few things around. The parts I changed were the ones that would've clearly given away he was a gargoyle. I also changed his name. The name Brooklyn might've sounded nice to me but to Jenna and others it wasn't a name you would give a person. So for the time being I changed his name from Brooklyn to a different one called Jeff Brooks.

Then when I told Jenna about the kiss Brooklyn and I shared she was completely excited. She just couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Oh my god, you kissed," she said.

I nodded my head with a big smile on my face. Without realizing it I brought one of my hands up to my lips as if I could still feel his beak when Brooklyn kissed me.

Jenna shook her head with that expression of amazement still on her face. "Man girl you are so lucky," she said.

I said "Yeah, I am."

Just then our teacher walked into the classroom and our lessons began for the day. Jenna and I had the same classes for the rest of the day that is until it came to one. This one class was for art. I had applied for this class, but Jenna didn't.

I loved to draw and paint, but when I was either working at the bookstore or at home I never had the time for it. So art class in school was the only time I ever had for it. We were just starting up a brand new project today.

The teacher was walking around the room talking to us while the rest of us were sitting at our stations. "Now then here is your assignment. I want you all to create something from your heart. Now this isn't something I want you guys to copy something down from a computer or a book. I want you guys to look into your soul and see what is there. I want you guys to picture what is there in your mind and capture it. You can do whatever you want with this image. You can draw, paint or sculpture it. Remember class this project it going to count for half of your grade so make it good. You may begin." With that our teacher went back to his desk while the rest of us started on our projects.

I went over to the supply table and picked up the supplies I was going to use for my project. I picked up easel along with a canvas and went back over to my work area. Once I had everything set up I sat down thinking about what to draw. I looked deep into my heart to find the perfect image to put on my canvas.

Then suddenly it came to me. A large smile appeared on my face and I knew exactly what to put on my canvas. I picked up my pencil and a moment later I started to draw Brooklyn. I was using the very best image I had of him in my head.

I started to sketch his body out the way I remembered it onto the canvas. I started slowly at first making sure I got every detail of his body perfectly. There was no need to do that because I remembered everything about him. I drew him out in the position I saw him in on the night we first met. With the light of the moon shining down onto his body and his glorious wings spread out right behind him. I didn't put anything on that would ruin the beauty of the one I was trying to draw out. By the end of the class I had managed to draw out Brooklyn's body in full and put on a matching back round scene behind him. I wasn't going to be able to start painting it until next class, but that was all right with me. A few minutes before the bell rang I was putting on some extra details to the painting with my pencil.

I didn't notice anyone watching me draw until the teacher came up from behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "What is it you're drawing, Sata," he asked.

"It's a gargoyle, sir," I said.

The teacher looked down at me with a certain look on his face. "This is very good, Sata. Have you ever thought of joining the art club," he asked me.

This kind of surprised me because I never expected this kind of question out of my teacher before. I said "No, sir, it never came to mind."

"Well you should, Sata, this is good stuff," he said.

"Thank you, sir, I'll consider it," I told him. At that moment the bell rang and I had to put away my stuff.

A while later I was down at the bookstore doing my job.

While I was putting books in their spots and sections on their shelves. I kept thinking about what my art teacher had said to me. Art club was definitely something for me to think about, but it might not be such a good idea after all. With my father and his temper I wasn't sure if I could sign my name up for any extra activities. I would have plenty of time to think about it, but right not I still had a lot of work to do.

Hours passed and evening finally came upon us. The gargoyles came to life as soon as the sun set on the city.

Goliath was talking to Hudson and Xanatos on one of the castles towers. They were discussing stuff about the group called the quarrymen.

The quarrymen were a group in New York set on destroying the gargoyles. The quarrymen were led by a madman named Castaway. No one knows if that's his real name or not but if it is it's a really stupid one.

The gargoyles had fought with the quarrymen a lot in the past and always the outcome wasn't so good on both sides. Every time these two groups fought with each other the quarrymen kept losing more troops to the police while the gargoyles kept getting bad publicity.

Goliath wasn't at all too happy about how things were going lately. So that's why he was having a talk with both Xanatos and Hudson.

Goliath said "The quarrymen are getting even more out of hand."

"Have you talked to Elisa," Hudson said.

Goliath turned at what his mentor said to him. He said "Yes I have spoken to her but she and Bluestone haven't gotten any leads yet."

"Wait a minute, what about that tip off they got? That must've counted for something lad," Hudson said.

But Goliath was shaking his head before Hudson even finished his sentence. "It was a dead end. Elisa told me if any of the quarrymen was there before they're long gone," Goliath said.

Xanatos now took a chance to speak up in the conversation. He said "So nothing was left there it was completely deserted, not even a hammer was found?"

"No, everything was gone. Elisa said that when she got there with some officers there wasn't a trace of them left at the location," Goliath said.

Xanatos said "They must've been given some false information. Whoever told the police about that location must've either heard the wrong information or set them up."

"That is a possibility," Goliath said. "I'm meeting with Elisa later I'll discuss it with her when I see her." Hudson and Xanatos both nodded their heads in agreement.

At that exact moment a baby's cry sounded off somewhere down in the castle. A slight smile appeared on Xanatos's face when he heard it. "That's Alex, I'll speak to you guys later," he said. With that he ran down the stairs to get to where his son was.

Hudson turned back to Goliath once Xanatos was out of sight. "So what do you think Goliath," Hudson asked him.

Goliath thought for a moment and then he answered his mentor. He said "Keep up with the patrols. We can't let the quarrymen interfere with our duties to the city."

Hudson nodded his head in agreement to what Goliath was saying and the two of them left the tower together.

Back inside the castle everyone was left to doing their own thing. As has been said before Alex was putting up quite a fuss inside the castle walls. He was in the kitchen and some of the others were trying to get him to eat something. Lexington was usually the best with Alex so he had taken over with trying to get him to eat.

"No," yelled Alex.

"Yes," said Lexington.

But little Alex was shaking his head, saying "No carrots!"

"Carrots are good for you, Alex," Lexington said.

At that moment Xanatos and Fox walked in at the same time. Lexington turned to them with a desperate look on his face. "Guys," he said.

Xanatos said "Eat your carrots, Alex, they'll help you see in the dark."

"Oh that's right lie to the kid," Fox told him.

But what Xanatos said still got Alex to eat his vegetables. Lexington fed Alex his carrots and Alex ate them with a great deal of reluctance on his face. But then Lexington gave Alex some apricots as a reward and Alex chewed them happily while smacking his lips.

When Alex was done eating Lexington took Alex out of his highchair and handed him to his parents. Alex was still a bit messy so his mother cleaned him up. "Rough tim,e Lexington," Xanatos asked.

Lex said "Not much, but that kid really doesn't like his carrots."

All three of them laughed at that.

A few moments later Broadway walked into the kitchen hand in hand with Angela. Broadway spotted Lex as soon as he walked in with Angela. He said "Hey Lex Goliath wants us out on patrol tonight we wanted to know if you wanted to join us." Lex nodded his head ay what was said. He said "Sure sounds good to me I need to get out anyway." Angela said "Also has anyone seen Brooklyn we were wondering if he'd like to join us too."

Lex was about to say something when they all heard someone speak up from the doorway. "I believe I saw him somewhere in the library."

They all turned their heads and saw Mr. Burnett standing there as dull as ever. Owen walked over to Fox and held out his arms. "I believe it is time for Alexander's lessons," he said.

Fox nodded her head and handed her son over to Owen. Alex giggled and snuggled up against Owens chest. Owen then left the kitchen carrying Alex in his arms.

The others left the kitchen not long after to do what they needed to do.

As Owen had said, Brooklyn was in the library. He was reading a book on Shakespeare. The play on Shakespeare he was reading was a classic known as Romeo and Juliet. He was very into romance books these days. Brooklyn was in the middle of reading the balcony scene when Angela along with his two rookery brothers came into the library.

Lexington was the first one to spot Brooklyn upon the second level of the library and to get his attention. "Hey, Brooklyn," Lex yelled up at him.

Brooklyn jumped and nearly dropped the book he was reading. Brooklyn didn't hear the three of them come in. Brooklyn looked down to the first floor of the library and saw them standing right below him. "What is it," he asked.

"We were going to patrol around the city we were wondering if you would like to come with us," Angela said.

Brooklyn said "Sorry guys, don't feel like it tonight." He then went back to his reading, but he didn't get through another sentence when a sudden idea came to his head and changed his mind.

Brooklyn stopped his friends before they could leave the castle. They had already left the library so he was going to have to catch up with them. Brooklyn quickly put down the book he was reading and ran out of the library.

Brooklyn got to his friends just in time. They were about to leave the castle when he showed up.

Angela said "Brooklyn what are you doing here?"

"I'm coming with you," he said.

This took Lexington, Broadway, and Angela by surprise.

Angela said "But you said you were staying here."

Brooklyn just shrugged his shoulders. "I changed my mind," he said.

Without another word Brooklyn jumped off of the castle and glided off into the sky and the others soon followed him. Because Brooklyn was the second in command they didn't question his word when they all glided off.

Once the four of them were all in the air Brooklyn started to give out the orders. He said "Broadway, Angela, I want you two to patrol around the Bronx. Lex, I want you to go with them. Once the three of you are done I want you to patrol around the rest of the city."

"What are you going to do, Brooklyn," Lexington said.

Brooklyn said "I'll be patrolling on my own tonight, but call me if you need any help." Brooklyn tapped his ear as he said this where his communicator was put in place.

The other three nodded their heads in unison. A moment later all four of them went on their separate ways for the night.

While one group went out to patrol the city the other one had something completely different in mind. What he was thinking now was to come down to my neighborhood and see me. Brooklyn was thinking of this patrol as a great opportunity to see me again.

Now that he knew where I lived it would be much easier for him to find me. This was exactly what he was going to do. In truth no one was going to be able to contact him because his ear communicator was actually turned off.

On his way down to my neighborhood Brooklyn had another idea. Before he reached my neighborhood Brooklyn went to get some flowers. He thought that getting me some flowers would impress me. But what he didn't know was that he didn't need to bring flowers just to impress me. I was already impressed by him without them.

Brooklyn flew around for a while in the sky trying to find the best place to get some flowers. After a long time he did finally find a flower vendor outside one of the shopping areas. It was the only one he could find with flowers outside of the store and what was better is that it was right beside an ally. This way he could get the flowers inside the darkness without anyone seeing and giving him trouble. Brooklyn landed into the ally once he got into a good position. Brooklyn had some money with him so he was going to be able to pay for the flowers. When no one was looking he used his tail to grab some flowers and he used it again to put some money out on the counter of the stall. He then moved further into the ally and looked at the flowers his tail had caught.

"Yes, these will do nicely," he thought.

Brooklyn then climbed up one of the walls of the ally with the stems of the flowers inside his beak. He couldn't hold them in his hand because they would surely drop if he held them while climbing Once Brooklyn reached the top he took the flowers back into his hand. He then spread his wings and flew back into the air.

As always I was doing what I usually did this time of night. It was to clean, cook for my father, and do as much homework as I can before I feel asleep with papers in my lap. I was just putting dinner on the table for him when my father walked in through the front door of the house.

"Good evening, Otto-san," I called out, but I didn't push it with him. With all my years with my father I knew not to speak to him much unless spoken to first.

Not long after I had spoken my father came walking into the kitchen. He took his seat at the table as soon as he walked in. I didn't say anything as he sat down to eat.

Something was going on with my father recently. He kept going outside a lot more than usual and I didn't like it. It was making me very uneasy. This wasn't his usual behavior here at home. I suspected him to be out gambling or me while he was eating so I took that to mean I could go up to my room. Turns out I was right my father didn't say a work to me as I walked upstairs and went to my room. I sat down on my bed and started doing my homework. I didn't expect to be doing anything else that night until it happened.

I was nearly done with my homework when I heard a tapping sound at my window. I ignored it thinking that it was just the wind but a few seconds later I heard the sound again. It was harder that it was before.

Curious, I put my homework down back on my bed and went over to the window. I opened the window and stuck my head outside to take a look around. When I found the source of the noise what I saw nearly made me fall out of the window in surprise.

Brooklyn was hanging down by his tail on the roof of my house and he was holding out some flowers to me in one of his hands.

I smiled up at him. "Hi," I said. He said "Hi" back. He had taken my hello as a good response.

Brooklyn decided to move a little closer to me. When he was close enough he held out the flowers he had in his hand. "I brought flowers," he said.

I smiled again and took the flowers in my hands. They were roses. "Brooklyn, they're beautiful. Thank you," I said to him.

I brought the roses up to my face and took a big whiff of the petals. Their scent was just so beautiful.

As I was admiring the flowers Brooklyn took the opportunity to move even closer to the window. "Can I come in," he asked me.

This drew my attention and I was quick to react to it. "Uh no, how about I meet you on the roof," I said.

He said "Sure that's fine with me."

"I'll see you in a minute," I said. I then closed the window.

When I did Brooklyn used his tail to climb back up the house and onto the roof. He waited for me patiently up there.

In the mean time I was making my way quietly up the stairs. My father had to have been asleep by now and I didn't want to wake him. I went quietly up the stairs and up to the attic. I then went over to the attic window and opened it up. I moved slowly out onto the roof so that I wouldn't slip on the roof and fall.

Brooklyn was already up on the roof waiting for me. He said "I was starting to think you weren't going to come up." He said this with a bit of humor in his voice.

I couldn't help, but let out a little giggle when he said this to me and I started to make my way up to him. I did this slowly because of the same reason I had given out before although I was moving very slowly, but Brooklyn offered me his help. "Here," he said.

Brooklyn leaned down a little bit and offered me his hand. I took it gratefully and he brought me up to sit by his side. "Thank you very much, Brooklyn-sama," I said with a smile on my face.

A questioning look appeared on his face when I said this to him. "Sama," he asked me.

I quickly went to explain myself to him. "Sama is a word you attach to a name as a sign of affection in Japan and the deciphers the elders from the younglings. Many people use it for someone they really like." I said the last part with a bit of a blush on my face. Brooklyn blinked in surprise and his surprise was quite obvious on his face but it quickly went away. Next moment he changed the subject to something else.

Brooklyn cleared out his throat and looked up into the sky. "Beautiful night, isn't it," he asked me.

I looked up into the sky at the moon and all of the stars. I said "Yes, it is." I then turned my attention back to him. "It must be wonderful to fly through the skies like you do every night with the wind going through your hair and soaring through the clouds."

"Of course it is," said Brooklyn, "but of course you've flown through the air too."

"Actually, I haven't," I said.

Brooklyn edged to me with every bit of surprise on his face. "You haven't," he asked me.

I just shook my head sadly at him.

"You mean you haven't flown at least once," said Brooklyn, surprised. "Not even on a plane?"

"I was on a plane once, but that was when I was a baby," I said. "I don't remember a thing. I haven't been on one ever since then and as you can see I don't really have the kind of money to head up into the air." I was referring to my surroundings. Just by looking at the surrounding neighborhood anyone could tell that I didn't really live in the fine life like everyone else was.

Brooklyn said "But you would like to fly."

"Oh yes," I said, "it is one of the things I would love to do in life but unfortunately that can never happen for me." Brooklyn starred at me for a few moments in silence without saying anything to me for a little while.

Then not much longer after this Brooklyn let out a big sigh and slowly got back onto his feet. "That settles it," he said.

I looked up at him in surprise. I said "What do you mean?"

Before I could say anything else Brooklyn leaned down and swept me up into his arms. I let out a startled squeak but I didn't protest. I was still surprised enough that it took me a few seconds before I regained my composure.

As soon as I did I looked up at Brooklyn and saw that he was looking down at me with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing," I asked, startled.

"You'll see," he said to me with another smile on his beak. Brooklyn turned his face away from me and back to the direction ahead. He then uncapped his wings and spread them out behind him. Brooklyn started to prepare his body for what he was about to do.

At the last moment I realized what Brooklyn was about to do before to do it and I tried to stop him. "No don't," I started to say, but I never got to finish my sentence.

Brooklyn had jumped off of the roof and into the air before I could do anything about it.

I yelped and closed my eyes in fear waiting for the crushing impact to come to us. Only the crushing impact I was expecting never happened.

I opened my eyes curious to see what had happened and when I did I couldn't believe my eyes. The two of us were flying through the air right above my neighborhood. My eyes had now grown enormous but the surprised expression on my face soon changed to one of delight.

"Oh my god," I said.

Brooklyn then said "You like it up here then?" He asked me this with a twinkle in his eyes.

I looked up at him. I said "Are you kidding me? Of course I do, this is wonderful!"

"Good," said Brooklyn, "now hold on tight."

I did as he said and wrapped my arms around his neck. Just in time too because as soon as I did this Brooklyn moved into an updraft and the wind carried the two of us higher into the sky. My delight could clearly be seen on my face at this point. I couldn't believe what was now happening to me.

The updraft of wind the two of us were ridding eventually brought us up into the clouds. When we entered them we were surrounded by white. Eventually we came out of the clouds and back into the open sky. Then right when we came out of the clouds Brooklyn started to do some twists and turns into the air. I suspect he was trying to impress me with his acrobatics and one thing was for sure it was definitely working but there was one thing during our flight that had me a little scared.

Brooklyn suddenly stopped his acrobatics and dived down toward the earth. I screamed in terror and covered my eyes with my hands. Seeing this Brooklyn laughed out loud and brought one of his hands up to my own. He then took my two hands in his own and pulled them away from my face.

"Don't you dare close your eyes," he said to me.

I did as he said and opened them again and when I did all of my fear went away. My fear was replaced by brand new excitement. As we dived down toward the city we kept getting closer and closer to the buildings and that somehow thrilled me. At some point during our dive Brooklyn pulled up when we got close to the buildings.

I turned my head in all directions drinking in every single part of the city I could find. The lights and buildings of the city were so beautiful at this height.

"It's so pretty," I said.

"Yes, although you kind of get used to it when you're flying around up here all the time," Brooklyn said.

I said "Be that as it may it is still beautiful."

Brooklyn looked down at me. "I suppose it might be," he said to me.

I just nodded at his words keeping silent this time.

Brooklyn paid close attention to my face, trying to figure out what I was thinking. All he could see was the soft look on my face and the gentleness in my eyes. To find something else to thrill me Brooklyn looked further off into the distance and he immediately found something good.

Brooklyn now changed his course and took us toward Central Parl. "Where are we going now," I asked him.

He said "Look under you."

I did as he said and found Central Park under and getting closer to us. We were flying right over the small lake of Central Park and Brooklyn brought us closer down to the water. Once close enough I took one of my hands off of Brooklyn's neck and brought it down to the water's surface. I had put the tips of my fingers into the water and its spray hit the air.

Close to the land Brooklyn adjusted his wings and brought us back into the air away from the water. The next pace he brought me to was an old clock tower set up above the police station. He circled around the top of the tower a few times before he finally landed on the clock towers large balcony right in front of the clock.

As soon as we landed on the towers balcony Brooklyn gently set me back down on my feet on the stone. When he did I turned my head around in curiosity trying to get a good look at the clock tower.

It was really banged up, up there. The front of the clock was still intact but many parts of it were destroyed.

I said to Brooklyn "What are we doing here?"

"I wanted to show you something," said Brooklyn. He put his hand on my back and led me inside. He took me inside through an opening at the front of the clock.

Once inside I managed to get a good look around and unfortunately for Brooklyn I wasn't that impressed. Part of the walls inside the clock tower were destroyed which led to openings of the outside. The floor was in ruins with pieces of the floor sticking out and creating some mounds of rubble on the top. Pieces of the ceiling were hanging down a little bit but not anywhere close to us. Brooklyn now brought his hand from my back and took my hands in his instead.

Brooklyn went down the stairs in the clock tower first with me following close behind him. He helped me carefully move down the stairs so that I wouldn't be able to trip and fall on them.

"Watch your step," he told me.

I managed to make it down the stairs any injury thanks to Brooklyn. "What are we doing here, Brooklyn-sama," I asked him again.

This time he gave me a straight answer. With a sweep of his arm regarding everything inside the clock tower he said something that I didn't expect to hear.

"This is where I used to live," he said to me.

I looked at him in surprise I didn't expect to hear this out of him. "You used to live here," I said.

Brooklyn nodded his head. He said "Yes, I did along with the rest of my clan at least up to a few years ago."

"What happened to make you leave," I asked.

He once again gestured with his arm to our surroundings. "This happened," he said to me.

I looked back around the ruined clock tower and then I remembered. About a few years ago there was a huge explosion here above the police station inside the clock tower. It was told that the gargoyles were the ones who destroyed it but further investigation had proved otherwise. In actuality it was a group of three people called The Hunters who destroyed the clock tower. Many police were injured because of them but nobody died although there were a few really big close calls. Two of the hunters had already been taken into custody but the youngest of them was still at large No one had been able to capture him he was being way too tricky for the police to find him. Anyway many people thought that The Hunters were just after the police station. Well at least that's what most people thought. The realization of what I knew then hit me.

I turned my head toward Brooklyn my eyes wide. "Of course," I stated, "the night those hunters attacked the station. They were after your entire clan."

Brooklyn closed his eyes and nodded at my words. He said "Yes, they were and they would've killed us too if one of my brothers hadn't warned us in time. It's thanks to him that we're actually alive today."

Then the frown suddenly disappeared from his face and a smile replaced it on his beak. He said "But enough of this come on I want to show you around the place." He took my hand again and led me around the clock tower. He showed me the spots where he and his clan had put everything before it was all destroyed by The Hunters.

Not much later we both found each other back outside the clock tower on the railing of its balcony. The two of us were looking far off into the distance. We were just talking when Brooklyn noticed something that we overlooked. His gaze snapped away from my face and over to something else. His eyes widened when he saw it. "Oh crap," he said.

"What," I asked, "what is it?"

"Take a look for yourself," he said. Brooklyn pointed his arm and I followed its direction.

When I did I finally realized what he had noticed and I didn't like it not one bit. The moon had already started to set and it was at a position that neither of us liked. Only a small part of the moon was still in view while the rest of it had disappeared. We only had minutes now before the sun would rise and the new day would start.

"Oh crap," I said, a prefect repeat of what Brooklyn said before.

"Exactly," said Brooklyn.

I said "I have to get home. My father can't find me out of my bed. If he does…"

"Say no more," said Brooklyn.

"Huh," I said.

Brooklyn stood up straight on the railing and held his arm to me. I took it and he swept me up into his arms. I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck to help keep myself in place.

"Hang on," he said. Brooklyn jumped off of the clock tower and glided off with me in the air.

This time I really had to hang on. Brooklyn was moving a lot faster than before in order to make up for all of our lost time. Brooklyn didn't know how much time we had left before the sun rose so he had to move quickly. I didn't care how we got there I just wanted to get home before my father woke up.

Fortunately my prayers were answered and we got there before the sun could come up.

Brooklyn landed on the rood but he lowered me down by his tail to the attic window. When that happened I quietly went into the attic.

Before I closed the window and went down to my room I stuck my head back out to have some last minute words with him.

"You gonna be all right," I asked.

He took a look at the moons position before he said anything. It didn't look goo the moon was a lot lower than it was before. You could just barely see it now. The frown on his beak grew a lot bigger when he saw this.

"There's no way I'll be able to get back," said Brooklyn. "The sun will rise before I even get there."

"Then stay here for the day," I said.

"What," he stated. He looked down at me in surprise and I quickly went to explain myself.

I said "If you can't get to where you need to go then just stay here for the day."

"I don't know if that's such a good idea. People would easily see me up here on your roof," he said.

I said "Who said anything about staying out on the roof."

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow and I smiled up at him. I gestured with my hand telling him it was okay to come inside.

Brooklyn took one last look at the moons position and carefully climbed down the roof to where I was. When he did I moved away from the window so that he could slip inside. He kept turning his head to get a good look at the attic. I was a little embarrassed by the expression on his face. "Well I'd better go.," I said. "Good night."

"More like good morning," said Brooklyn.

I smiled and slightly went on my toes to give him a kiss on the beak. "See you tonight," I said.

Brooklyn kissed me on the forehead. "Get some sleep," he said to me.

A moment later I left the attic and quietly went down to my room. In order to get what little sleep I was gonna get before I had to leave for school.

Brooklyn took up a position by the window waiting for the sun to come out.

Back at Castle Wyvern the clan was getting anxious. They knew they only had seconds before and Brooklyn still wasn't back yet. His clan mates were getting really worried about him. Every single one of them was at their pedestals waiting for the sun to rise.

Lexington said "What do you think is keeping him?"

"Don't know, but I don't like it," Broadway said.

Angela said "Something's wrong I just know it. Brooklyn's been gone too long to have just gone out for a flight."

Broadway wrapped his arm around his mate trying to reassure her. He said "Don't worry about t. Brooklyn is probably out there on a building ready for a good days rest."

Angela let out a deep sigh and nodded her head. "You're probably right, but I still can't help but worry," she said.

Lexington said "I'm with her Brooklyn has always come back before sunrise."

Bronx had now come up to Lexington and was rubbing against his side. Bronx was moaning slightly in anxiety as well. He too could feel the unsteady feelings that were spreading throughout his owners.

Broadway said "One thing is for sure he'd better have a good explanation when he gets back or there will be hell to pay with Goliath."

All three of them nodded their heads in agreement and looked up at Goliath. They had to look past Hudson, Othello, and Desdemona in order to get a good look at Goliath.

Goliaths face was like a tornado waiting to happen. He looked completely angry and they all knew that when Brooklyn returned the next night he would be getting a huge earful from Goliath. The three of them weren't the only ones to have noticed this.

The three of them saw Othello and Desdemona talking urgently to each other. It was quite obvious they were talking about Brooklyn because they kept looking off into the distance to where Brooklyn had flown off to earlier in the night.

Hudson was looking out in the same direction with a regretful expression on his face. He too foresaw what was going to come the next night and he didn't want to be around when it occurred.

After one last look at Goliaths face Broadway, Angela, and Lexington turned their heads back toward the rest of the city.

Lexington said "One thing's for sure I don't want to be in Brooklyns shoes when he gets back."

"Got that right after all none of us want to face Goliath when he's angry," Broadway said.

Angela said "Father can get quite angry at times," Angela said to the boys.

Broadway and Lexington nodded their heads in agreement to their words. That is all they could do at that point because the sun rose and turned them all to stone which included Brooklyn who had now turned to stone and was asleep in my attic.


	7. Chapter 7

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 7

There was a very loud bang and I sat straight up in my seat. My teacher had banged her ruler on my desk in class in order to get my attention.

"So nice of you to join us, Miss Sagara," she said to me.

The rest of the class around me were giggling and were trying very hard to hold in their laughter even though I could hear them perfectly.

Turns out I had fallen asleep at my desk in my geometry class and my teacher wasn't happy about it not one bit. In fact none of my teachers were happy with me that day because I kept falling asleep in my classes.

This morning before I left for school I only managed to get a little bit over an hour of sleep. This made me even more tired was doing all of the work in the kitchen as fast as I could before I had to leave.

What didn't help was my father watching me and yelling at every chance he got. Even though he had found something to occupy him he still found plenty of time to yell at me which wasn't helping one bit.

Work was kind of the same way for me as it was in school and at home. I could just barely stay awake to do all of my work at the bookstore.

My boss had noticed the change in me and he was very concerned about. He kept checking up on me from time to time wherever I was working to see if I was all right. He did catch me once asleep at a table when I was supposed to be sorting through some books for sale.

He eventually woke me and told me off. He said that I could leave early to go home and get some much needed sleep. I was reluctant to leave work because I really needed the money for this week, but my boss said it was all right. I would still get paid the full wage so I happily obliged.

When I got home I was very happy to notice that my father was still out and wasn't even home yet. So before I started any of my chores or the cooking for my father I went upstairs to the attic.

You see I just wanted to check up on Brooklyn before I actually did anything. There was nothing for me to worry about. Brooklyn was just as I had left him, but this time he was covered in stone.

Seeing he was all right I decided to take a little nap in the attic. I chose a spot by the window where I could just put my head down and take a little nap. Only unfortunately I went out as soon as I put my head down on my arms.

Hours passed by and I still didn't wake up. My father still wasn't home yet and I was extremely grateful for that. If he was I would get a beating before I could even get downstairs and I really didn't need that right now.

Night came before I knew it and it was time for the gargoyles to wake up. The gargoyles at Castle Wyvern woke up with roars and so did Brooklyn.

As Brooklyn broke out of his stone sleep he roared and stretched out his arms and wings.

This was another good thing for my father to be out of the house as long as possible. If he knew about Brooklyn he would definitely beat me to a pulp.

As Brooklyn stretched out his body he let out a really big yawn. Once he was done stretching out his body Brooklyn noticed me fast asleep by the window.

Brooklyn stood there for a while watching me sleep. My body kept moving in rhythm to the breathing of my body. Also, since I was by the window the light of the moon shining on my face made me look peaceful and to Brooklyn it made me look extra beautiful. This was just the way he liked it with me.

I was out big time. Not even a gargoyle breaking out of his stone sleep could wake me up, but something did.

Brooklyn smiled, watching me in my slumber. He moved quietly over to my side trying not to make any noise as that he wouldn't wake me up. It was very ironic because something he was going to do was going to wake me up even without making any noise.

Once he reached my side Brooklyn went down on one knee. During this whole time he didn't take his gaze away from my face. He then reached out a hand and eh gently moved a stray piece of hair off of my face and behind my ear. The next thing he did was to bring his beak closer to me and kiss me on the forehead.

Out of all the things he did after he broke away from his stone sleep this is what woke me up. It was a gentle kiss on the forehead full of love.

Just after Brooklyn kissed my forehead my eyes fluttered a few time and then they finally opened. Still feeling sleepy I stretched out my entire body to try and shake it off.

As I was doing this I finally noticed Brooklyn kneeling down beside me with a smile on his beak. I looked up at him a small sleepy smile.

"Hello," he said to me.

I said "What time is it?"

Brooklyn kissed me again on the forehead. "Just after sunset," he said. I'm sorry I woke you," he said.

I said "Don't be I have to get up anyway." I yawned and slowly stood up on my feet. "Have you heard anyone come into the house?"

Brooklyn shook his head. "Not since I came into the house," he said.

I let out a big sigh of relief. I said "Good I still have plenty of time."

Brooklyn now looked at me with a confused expression on his face. He said "What do you mean?"

"My father isn't home which means I still have some time to myself," I said.

"What about your mother," asked Brooklyn. "When does she come home?"

My face became sad and I averted my eyes somewhere else.

"She died…a long time ago," I said, quietly. There was an uncomfortable silence between us.

"I'm so sorry," said Brooklyn, apologetically.

"It's all right," I said reassuringly. "She died four years ago when I was thirteen."

Brooklyn looked at me with sympathy on his face. "It must've been hard for you to lose your mother at such an early age," he said.

I said "Yes, it was."

I brought my head back up and the sadness left my face. It was now replaced with a small smile. "But enough of that now," I said. "Are you hungry?"

"I am a little," Brooklyn said. I said "Good," I said, "then I'll go get something for you. Before my father gets home and I have to cook it all for him."

"Do you want me to go with you," he asked me.

I said "No way. What if my father comes along while you're down there? Just imagine the scene it would make if he saw you." I made a face as I said that last part in order to emphasize the meaning of my words.

Brooklyn chuckled at my words and he stopped me as I headed for the attic door to get some food.

"Are you sure this is all right," he asked.

"Don't worry I won't take much. My father won't notice a thing anyway," I said, reassuringly.

With that I went downstairs to get something small for him to eat and drink. I had to be careful though, couldn't take anything my father had planned on eating. That would make him very angry.

I felt slightly nervous as I left the attic and headed down to the kitchen. I went to quickly regain my calm. I didn't want Brooklyn to see how uneasy I was doing this. Fear of my father's reaction was in my mind and I didn't want to explain myself to him.

My father was one person I didn't want to discuss with anyone. Not even him just yet I didn't know how he would react to how my father treated me. True my father was cruel to me but I didn't want to see him hurt or worse.

In the meantime some members of his clan were out in the skies, but there was a slight change in their patrol duties. This time they were not only keeping their eye out for trouble, but they were supposed to be looking for Brooklyn as well.

The ones with this job for tonight were both Broadway and Angela. The others were either at the castle doing their own thing or out in the city doing something else. These two were getting closer and closer to my neighborhood.

Angela turned her head toward Broadway. "Anything," she asked him.

Broadway just shook his head. "No still nothing," Broadway said.

You see Broadway had been trying to get Brooklyn on the ear communicator, but he hadn't been able to reach him. Well of course they couldn't reach Brooklyn with his own communicator being off.

Angela was really starting to get frustrated. She said "Oh, where can he be? Father doesn't like this at all."

Broadway agreed with her Goliath was definitely going to give him an earful when he returned to the castle at the Eyrie Building.

Finally Broadway and Angela had now reached the neighborhood where I lived. As they were passing over the worn out buildings and few stores Angela looked down at them with pity. She said "It's terrible, my love. How can the humans be so cruel to each other? These humans hardly have homes to go to."

"Probably don't have much to eat either," said Broadway.

Angela turned to her love with frustration on her face. "Is that all you think about? Food," she asked him.

Broadway said "Only when I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," Angela retorted back at him.

Broadway pretended to think hard for a few seconds.

He then said "Hm, yeah, you're right."

Broadway said this while making a funny face which got them both to laugh. As they were laughing Angela had turned her gaze back down to the humans while Broadway kept his face looking forward.

When Broadway turned his attention forward he saw something ahead that made him cut his laughter short. Broadway was caught in complete surprise and it was quite obvious when he spoke next.

"I don't believe it," he said.

Angela caught the surprise in his voice and looked up at her beloved with concern.

"What is it, Broadway," asked Angela.

Broadway took his beloveds hand and pointed ahead of them. Angela looked in the direction where he was pointing and when she did her eyes widened in surprise. She didn't believe what she was seeing.

"I don't believe it," said Angela.

Out in the distance and somewhere below them they saw Brooklyn sitting on the roof and eating a snack. What surprised them even more was that there was a human sitting next to him. A young human female at that and this really caught the two of them off guard. They didn't expect to find their clan mate like this and least of all with a human.

When Angela and Broadway got to a certain distance from their clan mate they landed on a close by building not far from where Brooklyn was sitting. Also, they made sure this building had good cover for them so that they wouldn't be seen by Brooklyn just yet.

Down below on the roof of my small house while Brooklyn was eating the snack I had brought him we were both just talking to each other.

Before Broadway and Angela had found our location Brooklyn and I were talking about our families. Brooklyn was telling me about members of his clan. He especially kept going back to two members of the clan in particular which he said were his brothers. He said that their names were Broadway and Lexington.

I actually found this a little strange since I never even heard of anyone with these kinds of names before. When I was listening to what he was saying I was actually doing some thinking on my part. I was trying to think of ways to work around a certain question I was afraid he was going to ask and to my worst fears he did.

Brooklyn had taken the last bit of food I had brought up for him and swallowed it. The next thing he did is what got me very scared. "So Sata, I've told you about my family, but you haven't said anything about yours. What is your family like," said Brooklyn.

I lost part of my self-control for a minute there because that was the very last thing I wanted him to ask but I quickly regained it. Even though I didn't want to I was going to have to tell him what he wanted to hear. I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. A few seconds later with great reluctance I started to tell him about everything.

I said "I already told you about my mother and that she died about four years ago."

Brooklyn nodded his head.

"The one thing I didn't tell you was exactly how she died," I added.

Brooklyn gestured with his arm telling me to go on, so I did. Brooklyn wasn't going to like what I was going to tell him and he most certainly didn't.

"You see it was my father that killed her," I stated.

At that moment Brooklyns face transformed from interest into complete disbelief.

"It's true," I told him. "My father is a very abusive person. He was when my mother was alive and he still is today. My father was always drinking there was never a time when he wasn't. Because of this he was always very angry and even when he wasn't he was still very abusive with me and my Okaa-san."

I actually stopped talking right there because what I was about to say next was very painful and. I hadn't spoken about this in a very long time. After a few moments I pulled myself back together and continued with the story where I had left off.

I said "You see my father was always unemployed so my mother had to get a job. My father had never liked the idea of her working. I suspect that was what their fight was about when I walked in on them.

"I was just coming home from school. When I got to the front door I could hear yelling and screaming coming from inside our small house. I stopped and stood there. For a minute I thought maybe I should just leave but somehow I couldn't. I was younger then and made plenty of mistakes and this was one of my biggest ones. Without really thinking I decided to go in and slip past the place where my parents were arguing but I didn't get very far before I stopped where I was. I couldn't help, but listen into this one. I stopped right next to the kitchen where my parents were going at it and listened to them out of their view. I could hear them quite clearly from where I was.

"Ever since you got that job you've been thinking you can run things around here," my father yelled. "I knew it! I knew this would happen!"

"Somebody has to run things around here," my mother said.

"I worked all my life," he said. "Is it my fault I was laid off?"

"That was years ago," stated my mother.

"I stuck around because of you and Sata," said my father.

"Well don't let us stop you," my mother said with this coldness in her voice that made chills run up and down my spine.

There was a long silence and then I heard something crash.

"It's not here," my father screamed.

I covered my mouth with both of my hands so I wouldn't make a sound.

"I know what you're looking for," she said, as if she was putting something over on him. "But you're not going to find it."

"I thought you were at the store," stated my father.

"I wasn't," said my mother. "Didn't you go to the store to cash your check"?

"No," said my mother.

"It was in here last night," said my father.

"You have no business going through my pocketbook," stated my mother.

"What did you do with it," demanded my father.

"It was my check," said my mother.

"It was our check. When I had a job, did I say this was my money? No. It was for all of us. Where do you get off saying it was your check," shouted my father.

"Settle down," she said, like maybe she was sorry she'd gotten him all worked up. "Where's the check," demanded my father.

"I can't tell you," said mother.

There was another crash, then this long silence. I knew this silence wasn't a good one, but I didn't know what was going on. Then I heard this scream. "You tell me what you did with it, or I'm gonna whack you," shouted my father.

She mumbled something. I couldn't make out what it was. "I can't hear you," he said.

"I signed it over to our daughters account for her future," she said.

I gasped, but before I had a chance to think about anything I heard a bang. Just one, then another scream, and a lot of commotion.

The whole time I was standing there screaming and crying I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what had happened but in my mind's eye I could see my mother sprawled out on the kitchen floor with my father standing over her with a gun. Then my mind went completely blank and I passed out.

The next thing I knew I woke up in a hospital bed with my best friend sitting by my side. She was the one who told me about my mother's death and what happened afterwards.

Mom got hit with a bullet in the chest the doctors did everything they could to save her, but they were too late. My father shot her with a gun he obtained. My Okaa-san was dead and my Otto-san had killed her."

Brooklyn had been silently listening to my story, but now he voiced out a question of his own.

He said "Wait a minute if your father killed your mother then why he isn't in prison."

"He was put in jail, but only for a short amount of time," I said. "Even though my mother was shot by him the police didn't have enough evidence to put him in jail for good. So after only a few months in jail he was released. I was stuck with him again, but this time with no Okaa-san there to protect me. From then on I had to fend for myself with my Otto-san around."

Tears were coming out of my eyes and dripping down my face. I didn't realize this until Brooklyn brought one of his hands up to my face and gently whipped away the tears.

"I'm sorry," said Brooklyn.

I turned to Brooklyn with a sad look on my face.

"I miss her," my voice broke a little as I said this. At this Brooklyn wrapped his arm around me and held me close to him in order to try and comfort me.

Nearby Broadway and Angela were watching everything in silence. When Brooklyn held me close to him when one of them communicators went off someone was contacting them. Who it was contacting them soon became apparent.

Goliaths voice came through the communicator.

"Broadway can you read me," he said.

Broadway touched his ear communicator so he could speak.

Broadway said "Loud and clear Goliath, we found Brooklyn."

"Bring him in. It's time he explained where he's been running off too," Goliath growled.

Broadway broke contact with Goliath and turned to him his beloved.

Angela had kept her attention on Brooklyn and the human female. She heard the conversation Broadway had with her father, but she didn't pay it much mind.

Broadway followed his loves example and turned his attention back to where his brother was.

While Broadway was talking to Goliath the atmosphere below had changed. Brooklyn kissed the human female on the forehead and handed her the plate that was in his hands. His brother then wrapped his tail around the human and carefully lowered her down to a window where she slipped back inside. The next thing these two saw was Brooklyn reaching down to the human and the human reaching up to him. The two of them clasped hands for a little bit, but after a moment the human was the first one to let go. The human then watched Brooklyn jump off the roof of the house and fly off into the air. The human watched Brooklyn fly away with a smile on her face. A moment later they watched the human female close the window and head back into her own home.

At the same time Broadway and Angela left the place where they were hiding and flew after their clan mates. Goliath was right Brooklyn was going to have a lot to answer for when he returned to the castle.

Brooklyn flying ahead was thinking about the story he just heard from me. He felt very sorry for me and angry at the same time. He knew that many humans were cruel, but he never knew that they could go down to such a level.

He could clearly see the pain on my face as I told my story and it hurt him to see me in such pain. Brooklyn wanted to cheer me up somehow, but he was having hard time thinking about what to do.

As he was thinking Brooklyn didn't notice two figures following him until they were right on top of him.

Brooklyn heard them before he saw them and he turned around to find Broadway and Angela flying behind him.

"Hey Brooklyn, wait up," Broadway called out to him.

Brooklyn slowed down a bit so that his two clan mates could catch up to him. When they did they immediately started talking.

Broadway said "There you are we've been looking all over for you."

"Where have you been? We've been worried sick about you Brooklyn. You never came back to the castle last night," Angela said.

Brooklyn had planned for this type of question so he already had an excuse made up.

Brooklyn said "When I finished my patrol yesterday I decided to just fly around. I hadn't realized how fast the time went by and got stuck sleeping somewhere else for the day. It was a real pain."

"Oh, really," said Angela.

"Yeah, definitely," Brooklyn said.

Broadway said "So just where did you sleep?"

"Oh, I found a nice spot not far from here. No one saw me there," said Brooklyn.

Angela said "Why didn't you come back to the castle as soon as you woke up?"

"I decided to go on a quick patrol before I went back home," stated Brooklyn.

"What about your communicator? We tried to contact you multiple times," Angela said.

Brooklyn was prepared for that one too. He shrugged, saying "Must not have been working. I was sure I turned it on."

Angela held out her hand to Brooklyn and he immediately knew what she wanted. Brooklyn took out the communicator he had in his ear and handed it to her. She did a brief examination of the device and then gave it a slight tap. Right at that moment the communicator came straight on. When this happened Angela looked at Brooklyn with a raised eyebrow and handed the communicator back to him.

"Definitely isn't broken," said Angela.

Brooklyn didn't say anything as he took the device back.

Broadway and Angela looked at each other. They knew Brooklyn was lying to them and they didn't like that one bit. So they decided to get him to tell the truth.

Angela said "So you were on patrol then?"

Brooklyn nodded his head. "Yes, I was," he said.

Broadway then dropped the bomb on him.

Broadway said "Then who was that girl we saw you talking to."

That did it.

Brooklyn's head snapped toward them when he heard those words come out of Broadway. This was just the reaction these two were hoping for.

"You've got a lot of explaining to do Brooklyn," Angela said.

Brooklyn just let out a huge sigh of defeat he knew when he was beaten. He let Broadway and Angela take him back to the castle without any protest. Brooklyn knew he was in for it this time.


	8. Chapter 8

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 8

Back at the castle the atmosphere there wasn't so nice. Goliath was getting extremely impatient. In the castle there was a room where the clan usually went to hang out. Goliath was in there now with Hudson. Hudson was sitting in a chair watching the television with their gargoyle pet Bronx. Goliath in the mean time was pacing around the room letting out a frustrated growl every few seconds.

Bronx could sense Goliaths anger from where he was sitting and it was making him upset. Bronx started to whine, he didn't like it when Goliath was so irritated and neither did Hudson. The old gargoyle went to try and calm Goliath down.

Hudson said "Relax, lad, they'll be back soon."

"Brooklyn had better have a good explanation for his actions," Goliath growled.

Hudson said "He always does."

"He'd better or he's gonna kiss his position as second in command goodbye," Goliath growled again.

This caught Hudson by surprise.

Hudson said "Surely you can not mean that Goliath. Brooklyn is a fine young gargoyle and he has done well as your second."

"Yes, I know, but he has been disobeying me countless times these past few weeks and that is unacceptable. If taking away his position will teach him a lesson then so be it," Goliath said. Little did he know that this would completely change.

Right then Lexington came bursting into the room.

He said "They're back."

In less than a minute Goliath was out the door with Goliath following right behind him.

On his way out Goliath just happened to bump into Elisa who had been walking around the castle looking for him. She nearly got run over by Goliath as he stormed out of their hang out room.

"Whoa," said Elisa.

Elisa managed to catch Lexington before he could follow Hudson and Goliath.

"What's going on," asked Elisa.

Lexington said "Brooklyns back."

"Uh oh," said Elisa. "Exactly," said Lexington.

And then Elisa was running with Lexington. Both were trying to catch up to Goliath before he did anything rash.

Outside Broadway, Angela, and Brooklyn landed out on the castle walls. The three of them caped their wings and walked inside the castle. During the whole time they were flying home none of them had said another word after the encounter. But once they got back the three of them did start talking.

Broadway said "You're gonna have to tell Goliath."

"What are you gonna tell him," asked Angela.

Brooklyn let out a big sigh, saying "I don't know."

They had just reached the courtyard when the three of them got a big surprise. Just as they reached the middle of the courtyard the door at the other end of it burst open and in stormed Goliath.

Goliaths face looked like a giant tornado waiting to happen and this made the three of them stop in their tracks. Right behind him came Elisa, Hudson, Lexington, and Bronx with timid expressions on their faces. They stopped just a few feet from Brooklyn, Broadway, and Angela.

Goliath growled, his eyes glowing in anger.

"Where have you been," demanded Goliath.

Brooklyn didn't answer him he just turned his gaze somewhere else.

"Brooklyn tell me or so help me I'll…," said Goliath.

Brooklyn turned his gaze back over to Goliath.

"What I do is none of your business Goliath," said Brooklyn.

At this Goliath got even angrier.

Goliath said "Unless you want to lose your position as second in command I suggest you tell me now."

Brooklyn looked at his leader with complete disbelief on his face.

Brooklyn said "You can't be serious."

"I am dead serious," said Goliath.

"You can't do that," said Brooklyn. "Goliath, I've done so much as your second."

"True, but you haven't been lately and unless you tell me what's going on I will give your position to someone else," said Goliath, firmly. There wasn't any sign of sympathy or a bluff in his voice. Goliath definitely meant what he was saying.

Many of the others couldn't believe what they were listening to. Elisa was looking at her beloved with complete shock on her face.

"Goliath," she said. Elisa put her hand on her beloveds arm, but he just shrugged it off.

Broadway and Angela looked at each other with scared looks on their faces. These two knew that if Brooklyn wasn't going to tell Goliath anything they were gonna have it.

Brooklyn still wasn't saying anything to him a look of defiance was now on his face. Hudson saw this and went to try a different approach with Brooklyn. Hudson moved a bit closer and spoke to him.

Hudson said "Lad, we just want to know what you've been doing."

Brooklyn didn't answer Hudson either.

Goliath was about to say something when Broadway spoke up. Broadway said "We found him in downtown New York with a young woman."

That managed to catch their attention. All eyes were now on Broadway and Angela.

"What are you talking about," Goliath said.

Brooklyn shot his rookery brother a huge warning look, but Broadway just ignored it. Broadway said "When we found Brooklyn he was with a young woman."

"A young woman," questioned Goliath.

"Yes and they were quite friendly with each other too," Angela said.

All eyes were now turned back over to Brooklyn who was staring straight at Broadway and Angela. If looks could kill those two would be dead on the spot where they stood. The expressions on their faces were apologetic as they looked at him, but Brooklyn wasn't taking any of it. Well at least not yet it was going to take a while before these two were going to be forgiven by Brooklyn.

Goliath said "Is this true?"

Brooklyn lowered his gaze and nodded his head.

"Well, who is she," Goliath asked him.

Brooklyn sighed he knew he had no chance of escape this time.

Brooklyn said "Her name is Sata Sagara. She lives on the run down side of the city with her father. She is seventeen years of age."

"And how long have you been seeing this young lady," Hudson questioned.

Brooklyn said "A good couple of weeks."

"This is why you've been so disobedient isn't it," Goliath said.

Brooklyn nodded his head. At this Goliaths face softened a little bit, but it was still serious. Brooklyn had still disobeyed and lied to him and he had to be punished one way or the other. Showing some mercy and sympathy Goliath was still going to let Brooklyn be his second in command, but now he had a much different punishment in mind.

Now that Goliath knew what was going on he was no longer growling. Instead his voice was back to its normal tone.

Goliath said "Brooklyn you will stay as my second in command."

Brooklyns face brightened at this but it quickly went back to looking defiant at what was said next.

"Instead you are confined to the castle until further notice," continued Goliath. "You are not allowed to leave."

The smiles on everyone else's faces disappeared along with Brooklyns.

Brooklyn said "No! Goliath if I'm stuck here I won't be able to see her. I need to see Sata."

Goliath wasn't going to have any of this.

Goliath said "Until you have proven that you can be trusted again to move outside these walls you will not see that young woman again."

"But Goliath…," Brooklyn said in a pleading kind of voice.

Goliath held up his hand.

"That is my final word Brooklyn," said Goliath.

For a few minutes Goliath and Brooklyn just stood like that staring at each other in silence. No one else dared to interrupt them when they were like this. They were all trying to see who would give first in this kind of situation. None of them had to wait very long at all to see what the outcome of this would be.

Brooklyn was the one to give out first.

Knowing Goliath wasn't going to change his mind Brooklyn left the courtyard with a defeated but furious look on his face. Brooklyn was closely followed by Lexington and Bronx. Broadway and Angela went after them. These two knew that Brooklyn especially didn't want their company right now but they were going to try out their luck on his anyway.

Once it was just Hudson, Elisa, and he were the only ones out in the courtyard Goliath started speaking again. Goliath turned to his beloved. "

Can you find anything on this girl Elisa? We need to know if this girl can be trusted," said Goliath.

Elisa said "I'll see what I can find, but Goliath..."

"Yes, what is it," asked Goliath.

"Are you sure you should've been so hard on him? I mean he wasn't really doing any harm," said Elisa.

Hudson said "She is right."

"True, I may have been a little hard on Brooklyn, but it's for his own good. He has to learn that he just can't be doing stuff like this. Without us knowing where he actually is at all times is very dangerous. Especially if the quarrymen were to find him alone and off of his guard," Goliath said.

Elisa was shaking her head.

She said "I'm not saying that Goliath."

"Then what are you saying," asked Goliath.

Elisa said "I'm saying that this young lady might not be so bad. I mean by what we've heard Brooklyn seems to like her and she seems to like him."

Goliath was nodding his head but there was still that most serious look on his face.

He said "Be that as it may I still think we need more information on this young lady before we let him do anything else with her."

"If anything you might want to check on the girl's family. That might be a good place to start with her background," Hudson said.

Elisa turned to Hudson with a raised eyebrow.

"You've been watching some of Broadways mystery movies haven't you Hudson," she said to him.

Hudson scratched the back of his head and looked away in a different direction.

Hudson said "Yes I have and they're quite interesting too."

"It's still a good idea. I'll get right on it as soon as I can," Elisa said.

Goliath nodded his head saying he agree with her.

Hudson now chose this time to leave.

He said "I think I'll go see Robbins."

Hudson now left Goliath and Elisa. He went for the closest of the castles towers so he could take off, but first he had to find Bronx. Hudson always took Bronx with him whenever he went to see his friend Robbins.

At this point Goliath and Elisa were now left alone. Feeling a little bit better Goliath went off with Elisa so they went off to spend their own time together.

In the mean time Broadway and Angela had finally caught up with Brooklyn. These two had found him inside their little hand out room with Lexington.

Hudson had already found Bronx and left the castle with him.

So Lexington was the only one there with Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Lexington were sitting next to each other on the couch and Lexington was quietly talking to his rookery brother. Brooklyn had his head in his hands so he didn't immediately see them. Lexington was the one to see them first and he tried to signal them to keep out of the room. Unfortunately for them Brooklyn noticed the movement and he took his head out of his hands. It was then that Brooklyn noticed Broadway and Angela standing in the doorway.

Big mistake on their part.

As soon as he saw them Brooklyns eyes glowed and he let out a menacing growl at them. Hearing this Broadway and Angela brought their hands up with their palms out in defensive position as they moved into the room.

"Look Brooklyn…," Broadway started to say.

Brooklyn said "Get out."

They didn't listen to him. Broadway and Angela moved a bit closer.

Angela said "We're really sorry."

"You've ruined everything," Brooklyn snarled. Brooklyn was still growling and he was now showing his teeth.

"Hear us out, buddy," Broadway said.

Brooklyn growled out "No way."

Brooklyn started to get off the couch but Lexington grabbed his arm and stopped him in his tracks.

"Come on at least hear them out," Lex said.

Brooklyn let out another growl, but sat back down on the couch next to his brother. Lex still kept his hands on Brooklyns arm just to be on the safe side.

Seeing that Brooklyn wasn't going to attack them Broadway and Angela now started to explain.

Angela said "We were under order from father to find you, Brooklyn, and to report back to him when we did. We didn't know what was actually going on with you."

"She's right, Brooklyn, if we did we would've tried to buy you some more time," Broadway said.

Hearing this Brooklyn got even angrier. His eyes glowed even brighter than before and he let out a huge growl clearly showing his rage.

He said "If you wanted to buy me more time then why did you sell me out?"

None of them really knew what to say to that.

Lexington was looking from face to face trying to figure out what everyone was thinking. Things were starting to backfire on Broadway and Angela. They found Brooklyn in order to apologize to him, but instead they were making things a while lot worse. These two needed to think face in order to turn things back in their favor. Brooklyn had made some very good points against them and they need to try to find ones of their own.

Broadway was the first of these two to find a really good one.

He said "If we hadn't said anything you would've lost your position as second in command." Broadway was hoping for a friendly response from his brother only he got the complete opposite.

A wicked grin appeared on Brooklyns face.

He said "I would've rather lost my position as second in command than lose her."

The eyes of Broadway and Angela softened at hearing this. They could hear the emotion in Brooklyns when he spoke.

"You really care about her, don't you," Angela asked, softly.

Brooklyn nodded his head with a very sad look on his face. The menacing look had left his eyes as soon as he started speaking of Sata.

Broadway was very curious about something and he just had to voice it out.

He asked his brother "So who is this Sata Sagara anyway Brooklyn? I mean we know her name, but we don't actually know who she is."

Brooklyn took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. There were a few moments of silence before he spoke again. When he did all of the menace and anger had left his voice Brooklyn was finally calm again. It was then that he told them who the girl actually was. When he did his three clan mates were completely speechless by what they had just heard.

Angela said "So it was her?"

"Yes, Sata is the one who thanked us when we saved her from those men that one night," Brooklyn said.

Angela said "She did seem nice when we first saw her."

"Yes, she did, but Brooklyn are you sure she can be trusted," asked Broadway.

Now saying that in front of Brooklyn was a mistake. Brooklyn snapped his head up as soon as he heard these words come out of his brother's mouth.

Broadway quickly went to right himself.

He said "I mean, she sounds nice and all, but we hardly know anything about her."

Hearing the apologetic note in his voice Brooklyn waved away what his brother said before, but he didn't dismiss what his brother just said.

Brooklyn said "I have known her for only a short time but even so in this short time I know that she can definitely be trusted with our secret."

"You really love her, don't you," Broadway said.

Brooklyn didn't say anything to his brother his silence was all the answer the rest of them needed. After a little while Brooklyn did speak again.

Brooklyn said "I love her and now I won't be able to see her for who knows how long. She'll think I abandoned her."

"No she won't," Angela said in a gentle voice.

Brooklyn said "Yes she will. She'll probably go to someone else if she thinks that, I'll lose her." The sadness and pain was now all too obvious in his voice and demeanor.

Watching him, Broadway and Angela were now feeling deeply sorry for what they had done.

Lexington watched and heard everything in silence. Lex was happy that his rookery brother had finally found someone to love him, but he was sad at the same time. The reason for this was that he was now the only bachelor in their little trio. He was the only one left who hadn't yet found someone and that deeply upset him, but he wouldn't shot it to any of them.

Brooklyns head was back in his hands. His body shook with silent sobs and tears started to come out of his eyes. Those tears flowed down his face and drip onto the floor. The knowledge that he wasn't going to see the one he loved again for who knows how long was hitting him hard and. He wasn't going to be able to handle that.

Seeing this, Angela moved forward with one hand out. She was ready to comfort Brooklyn when she was stopped by Broadway. Broadway had put his hand on his beloveds arm to keep her where she was. Broadway shook his head at her clearly telling her to leave Brooklyn alone. Clearly their attempt to apologize to Brooklyn had backfired on them big time.

Broadway headed for the door and Angela went with him without protest. On their way out Broadway looked at Lexington and made a motion with his arm. Broadway was trying to tell Lex to follow them so their brother could have some time alone. Fortunately, Lexington got the message and he left the room with the two of them.

On the way out Lex got one last look at Brooklyn before he left. It wasn't a pretty sight to see to see in fact for some people it would actually seem pathetic.

Brooklyns body was shaking harder than ever with the sobs pumping through his body.

Lex couldn't see the face because it was still held in his brother's hands. Tears were coming out of his eyes and dripping down on his beak onto the floor.

Broadway and Lexington hated to see their brother this way but they knew there was nothing else they could do for him.

Somewhere else around this sometime something completely different was happening with Brooklyns girlfriend.

At my house my chores and homework were completely finished. Father was sitting on that chair of his watching TV as always after dinner with a beer bottle in his hand.

At this point the rest of the night was mine and I was happy about that.

Instead of staying up I decided to go to bed early to regain the sleep which was lost to me the other night. Even while I was in bed there was still a lot to think about.

My mind couldn't get off of Brooklyn.

I knew I was in love and that thought wasn't going to leave my mind. I fell into slumber with a big smile on my face completely oblivious to the fact that I wasn't going to see Brooklyn again for a very long time.

At dawn back at the castle as everyone was taking their places for the day no one was speaking. Not even Othello and Desdemona. These two had returned not long after the incident and had heard about everything. Othello and Desdemona were very wise to keep their silence because none of them were in the mood to talk.

Brooklyn and Goliath passed each other at one time, but they didn't speak. It was going to take time before these two were to be reconciled.

Brooklyn was on his pedestal looking off into the distance with that same sad look on his face. He knew that there were going to be a lot of rough days ahead of him and not being able to have any contact with me were going to make them even harder.

"What am I gonna tell Sata," he asked himself. He didn't have an answer to that and no one could give it to him. Because the sun came up and put them all into stone sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 9

The next night when the sun had set I was up in the attic waiting for Brooklyn to arrive with a large smile on my face. I was up for most of the night waiting for him up there. I stood by the window for hours, but he never showed up.

I was quite put off about this because I expected him to come down and see me. So I went to bed like around midnight to get some sleep.

The next night and the night after that I had stood up in the attic just waiting for him to come and each time he never showed.

I was waiting many hours each night just waiting for Brooklyn to show up. Eventually hours turned to days, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Without even realizing it nearly four months had went by and. In that amount of time Brooklyn never came down to see me not even once.

During the beginning of those first few weeks I did believe Brooklyn would come to me, but as it came close to that forth month doubts were starting to emerge. Instead of thinking that Brooklyn was going to come see me again I was not starting to think that he wasn't going to come see me again.

I still waited for him up in the attic every night but now it was with a heavy heart. The smile and sparkle in my eyes was gone from my face and was replaced with much sorrow and despair.

Jenna noticed this and was concerned about me although my father really couldn't care less.

Farther into the city someone else had been going through the same thing I was. Brooklyn was completely miserable where he was in the castle.

During those first few days Brooklyn wouldn't speak to anyone, not even his rookery brothers. Broadway and Lexington tried again and again to get to him, but they couldn't break through.

Everyone took turns trying to get to him. Even Othello and Desdemona gave it a try along with Xanatos and his family. None of this was making things better their efforts were just making things worse.

Brooklyn retreated deeper into himself each day that kept him away from the one he cared for.

Now, near the end of the forth month of separation, Brooklyn was even harder to reach than ever. None of his clan mates could bear to see him in this manner.

At the time near the end of the forth month Elisa finally came up with information Goliath had been waiting for. She was on her night and she decided to visit the clan as soon as night set in. As soon as she walked into the castle she spotted Owen Burnett not far from the elevator.

"Hey, Burnett," Elisa called to him.

Owen lifted his head and turned it toward Elisa as she walked over to him.

"Yes, what can I do for you, Miss Maza," he asked her.

Elisa stopped just a few feet from him. She said "Do you know where Goliath is? I need to speak to him."

"I believe I last saw him in the library," said Owen. He went back to his work while Elisa went off in the direction of the library looking for Goliath.

On her way over there she ran into Hudson. She was turning a corner when she just bumped into him. Hudson and Elisa smiled when they saw each other.

Elisa said "How's Brooklyn doing?"

The smile immediately left Hudson's face and turned solemn.

"That bad, huh," said Elisa.

Hudson was just slowly shaking his head and Elisa knew that she was correct.

"How has he been doing," asked Elisa, softly.

"Same thing every night, lass, he hasn't been speaking to anyone. Brooklyn retreats deeper into himself every night," Hudson said.

Elisa said "Have you spoken to Goliath?"

"Aye, I have," answered Hudson.

"And," persisted Elisa.

"Even seeing Brooklyn like this he is still sticking by his choice," Hudson said.

Elisa said "I think I can change that."

This got Hudson's attention and he turned to Elisa with a new look of interest on his face.

"What are you talking about," he asked her.

Elisa smiled straight at Hudson.

She said "Let's just say I've found something that can turn things around." With that Elisa turned and walked away leaving the old gargoyle to watch her walk away with a satisfied look on his face.

Elisa passed many others on her way to see Goliath, but she didn't speak to any of them. She only had one goal in mind and she was planning on doing it before the nights end. She did eventually find Goliath in the library where she was told he would be.

Goliath was sitting on a ladder reading a book close to the shelves. Elisa smiled when she saw him and she decided to have a little fun. She moved quietly through the library to get to the stairs to reach its second level. When Elisa walked in before she noticed that even though Goliath was sitting close to the shelved he was, also, sitting close to the second floor railing.

On the second floor Elisa made sure she didn't make any noise as she moved up behind her beloved. When she did she brought her hands up to cover his eyes.

"Guess who," Elisa said in his ear.

At Elisa's touch Goliaths body tensed up slightly, but when she heard her voice his body relaxed and a large smile appeared on his face.

"Hm, could it be Elisa," he said in a teasing voice.

Elisa said "Bingo." She took her hands away from his eyes and he turned his body to get a full view of her.

Goliath said "I'm surprised to see you here Elisa. Shouldn't you be working?"

"It's my night off and besides I have something important to tell you," said Elisa.

Goliath asked "What is it?"

Elisa's face turned very serious.

She said "I've got the information you've been wanting."

Goliath had to think for a minute, but after a few moments he understood what she was saying to him. A look of understanding appeared on his face and it turned serious just like hers.

Goliath said "You've finally got it?"

Elisa nodded her head to answer his question.

"All of it," she said. "It took me a while to get it but I finally have the information."

Goliath said "Good, it's about time, things are starting to get out a hand."

"I heard," said Elisa. A kind of angry look appeared on her eyes.

She said "Still haven't made your peace yet I see."

Goliath didn't say anything to her he just turned his gaze away. This got her a bit disappointed in him.

"Goliath, you have to," said Elisa. "Can't you see what you're doing to Brooklyn?" This was more like a demand than a question.

Goliath heard the tone in her voice and this time he knew he had to answer her.

He said "Yes, yes I can." Goliath didn't look at Elisa when he said this to her.

Elisa said "Have you even tried to talk to him?"

"Yes I have, but he won't listen. I've tried to explain my reasons for keeping him here, but as anyone here can tell you he won't listen to me or anyone else," said Goliath.

Elisa said "You have to try harder." Elisa was trying to move around Goliath in order to get him to look into her face.

"Goliath, Brooklyn seems to really care for this girl. Maybe you should let him see her again," said Elisa.

"That will have to depend on the information you give me," said Goliath.

Elisa nodded her head and started talking. She said "Well as I said before it took a long time for me to get information on this girl. I asked around for a while in the city but nothing really came up. When that didn't work I tried a different approach. I went into the station and tried to find her name in the police files. Turns out I made the right choice with that one. At first I got a little nervous when I found her name in there, but as it turns out I needn't have worried when I found her name in there but as it turns out I needn't have worried at all. Her file wasn't in there for the reason I thought it was."

The last part she said quickly so that Goliath wouldn't get the wrong idea. That is because when Elisa had said this his face had turned very grim. As soon as she said that last part it quickly faded away.

Once Elisa saw this she then continued "Instead of being the culprit of a crime she was actually the victim of one."

"And what kind of crime was it," Goliath asked her.

Hearing this Elisa became a bit uncomfortable. She didn't like the idea of telling Goliath this next piece of personal information, but she knew that she had to if things were ever going to get back to normal again. So she began her story again, but she first took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Murder," said Elisa. "Her father was the one responsible for the crime. Her mother was shot by her father when she got home from school. Neighbors had heard all the screaming, the shouting and they called the police. Sata and her mother were both taken to the nearest hospital for treatment while her father was taken down to the station. Sata made it through the night, but her mother didn't."

The entire time Elisa was talking she had been watching Goliaths face for his reaction. Goliath had kept a straight face and didn't really show any emotion at all, but when he heard this his surprise was quite obvious on his face.

"Wait a minute Elisa just let me get this straight," said Goliath. "So you're saying that the girl's father had killed her mother, am I correct?"

Elisa said "Yes, you are."

"Then why is he not in jail, why does he still have custody of his daughter," said Goliath.

Elisa said "Well as a matter of fact her father was in prison for a time, but was soon let out again. The police before me didn't have enough to keep him in there indefinitely. So he was let out again but the worst part was when he demanded his daughter back. With no other relatives to fight for her the courts had no choice but to grant him custody and to her back over to him. She's been living with him ever since."

Goliath was now shaking his head with distaste at what he was hearing. He was about to speak, but Elisa interrupted him before he could.

She said "After I found this out I managed to find some other stuff on her. She's been between jobs, but right now she's working in a small bookstore. Her father doesn't work so she's had to support herself and her father with the money she's managed to make with her jobs. She's in high school right now and by what I gathered she's doing quite well."

Elisa was now finally finished speaking and now there was a little silence in between them.

Hearing all of this now gave Goliath a lot to think about.

He said "Poor girl, must be hard for her."

"It has to be with her situation," Elisa said.

Goliath said "Losing her mother must've been terrible."

"Now you know," said Elisa.

Goliath closed his eyes and let out a big sigh.

He said "I think it's time I had another talk with Brooklyn."

Elisa nodded her head in agreement with a smile on her face. The two of them then left the library and went off to look for Brooklyn together. It didn't take them long tom find him. Brooklyn was where he always was now a day's inside the hang out room just sitting around until sunrise. These two didn't find him there alone.

Broadway, Angela, and Lexington were standing outside of the room peaking through the door. These three were checking up on him just trying to see if he was all right.

Looking around the door they could see him sitting on Hudson's favorite chair looking out the window with Bronx lying down at his feet. Once and a while Bronx would look up at Brooklyn and let out a whine. When he didn't get a response from Brooklyn he would put his head back down on his front paws and let out another whine. Bronx could feel Brooklyns pain and he didn't like it.

These three were still looking in on Brooklyn when Goliath and Elisa came up from behind them. Seeing Goliath and Elisa these three moved out of the way and let them through.

Elisa and Goliath walked into the room and went straight over to where Brooklyn was. Seeing them Bronx lifted up his head and started panting at them. Goliath patted Bronx's head and then turned his attention over to Brooklyn. Brooklyn hadn't noticed these two walk in he was still looking out the window.

"Brooklyn," Goliath said.

Brooklyn didn't answer Goliath at all so he tried again.

He said "Brooklyn, I need to speak to you."

There was no response from Brooklyn.

Goliath turned to Elisa and the look on his face made it clear that he was asking for her help. She responded by giving and encouraging smile and gestured at Brooklyn with her arm. Her meaning was quite clear to Goliath. She was telling him to keep on talking to Brooklyn even if he really didn't want to hear him. Goliath did as he was told and just kept on talking to Brooklyn.

Goliath said "Elisa has given me information about this Sata Sagara you met. She gave me some extra stuff on this girl, because of this I've come to a decision."

Elisa thought she saw Brooklyn move a little bit at hearing this, but the movement was so slight she hardly saw it. Goliath saw it too, but he didn't pause. He then said what Brooklyn had been waiting to hear.

"By the sound of things she isn't half bad," said Goliath. "You can continue to go see her Brooklyn."

This definitely got a reaction out of Brooklyn.

Before Goliath could even finish speaking Brooklyns head snapped and his gaze was on Goliath. His attention was completely focused on him. It all happened so fast that Goliath and Elisa actually took a step back from him, but what really surprised them is what came next.

For the first time in a handful of months Brooklyn actually spoke.

He said "You mean I can go see her?"

Goliath nodded his head.

"Oh thank you, Goliath," breathed Brooklyn.

Goliath held up his hand for silence and Brooklyn immediately shut up.

Goliath said "Hold it right there. I did say you could see this girl again Brooklyn, but not tonight. You can go see her tomorrow, but tonight you will be going out on patrol with your rookery brothers and Angela."

"Of course, leader," said Brooklyn. "Whatever you say."

Goliath and Elisa were now smiling. They were both happy that Brooklyn had finally come out of the depression he was in and they weren't the only ones. Bronx was now jumping up onto Brooklyn and licking his face and the rest of the clan came walking into the room with big smiles on their faces.

It seems that Othello, Desdemona, and Hudson had joined Angela, Broadway, and Lexington on the other side of the door while Goliath was talking. They were all happy to see their clan mate back to normal again. Brooklyn dislodged himself from Bronx and stood up straight facing them.

Broadway moved forward past the others and clasped arms with his rookery brother.

"Welcome back, buddy," he said.

Brooklyn said "It's good to be back." An apologetic look came upon his face.

"I'm sorry for the way I've been acting lately," said Brooklyn.

Broadway dismissed these words with a shake of his head.

He said "There's no need to apologize to us brother."

"He's right, you know," Angela said.

While Broadway and Brooklyn were talking to each other the rest of the clan had moved up beside them.

"There's no way to stop how a person is feeling," Desdemona said.

Lexington said "Most of us would've probably been in the same state you were in if we were put in your situation."

Many of the others nodded their heads in agreement to what Lexington was saying.

Broadway then put a hand on Brooklyns shoulder.

He said "Come on. The sooner we leave the sooner we'll get back."

So the trio along with Angela left the room and headed for the nearest of the castles towers. The rest of the clan watched them go up to the top of the tower from below.

As those four were climbing the tower Othello moved forward and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"You did the right thing, Goliath," Othello said to him.

Goliath said "I know."

The four adolescents had now finally reached the top of the castles tower. They uncapped their wings from their bodies and stretched them out. Not long after that all four of them jumped off of the tower together and flew off into the city.

This whole time Brooklyn was wearing a very big smile on his beak. Instead of being so sad like he was not too long ago he was now extremely happy. He knew that he wasn't going to see Sata again on this night, but he was going to see Sata again on the next. Because of this Brooklyn was in a very happy mood.

Although Brooklyn may have been in a happy mood like some of the other people in the city there was someone who wasn't. As a matter of fact this one person was very miserable.

In my own home these past few months I kept on waiting up in the attic for Brooklyn to arrive. That's what I was doing on this night just waiting for him to come to me.

Only after all this time something was beginning to disappear. In the beginning I held plenty of hope inside me but now I hardly had any left. I was now starting to believe that Brooklyn was never going to come see me again. I was sitting up at the window for a while now just looking out into the sky.

My father yelled up at me from down the stairs, screaming "Sata!"

I turned my head toward the attic door away from the window. "Yes, Otto-san," I called back.

He shouted "Where's my dinner? I'm hungry!"

"Okay, I'm coming otto-san, I'll get right on it," I called down.

Before I left the attic I took one last look out the window at the sky with a sad expression on my face. I stood like this for a few more seconds and then I went out of the attic. As I did so tears started to come out of my eyes and let them flow down my face. With them came much sadness and regret.


	10. Chapter 10

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 10

Some hours went by and later that night some things had begun to change. Things had turned back to normal with the entire clan thanks to the good news from Goliath and Elisa. Even though things were getting back to normal again a big change was about to happen.

Inside the castles nursery little Alexander was undergoing his magic lessons. "This little piggy became a polar bear *poof* and this little piggy became a fire truck *poof* and this little piggy became a gargoyle *poof* and… oh, drat! All out of piggies," said Puck.

Alex clapped his little chubby hands and laughed delightedly as his wide eyes followed the merry figure of his Uncle Puck as the impish white haired rogue careened around the room. The three previously plush porkers, now a bear, a truck and a chubby toy gargoyle reminiscent of Broadway lay on the nursery floor before him.

Puck landed and sat down cross-legged.

"Now, my boy, this is Transformation 101 turning one thing into another and back again," said Puck, waving his hand over the polar bear and turning it back into a fluffy pink pig. "It's one of the simplest magic's, doesn't even need an incantation. Just focus your will, see the picture of whatever you want it to be in your mind, and will it into being."

Alex looked at Puck curiously and tentatively stretched out his hand. The pig shimmered and morphed into a yellow rubber duck. The toddler squealed and giggled.

"Yes that's the ticket," crowed Puck. "Let's try another one shall we?"

Immersed in the magic lessons neither one of them noticed the other residents of the castles flying past the nursery window.

Angela and the Trio landed in the courtyard and they were all full of high spirits.

"Did you see the look on that guys face right before he landed in the dumpster," Lexington asked, scampering ahead.

"Oh yeah," Broadway laughed. "Definitely not his night."

Angela rolled her eyes as she transformed her wings into an elegant cape.

"Hatchlings," she said.

"Aw, Angela admit it. You thought it was funny too," teased Broadway, waling closer. "I saw the smile on your face."

"Well," Angela relented, "I suppose it was… a little. Especially when he came up with that banana peel on his head."

Lex skidded to a stop, saying "Hey, Hudson must be out with Goliath and Bronx. The TV is ours!"

"Great," Brooklyn said, looking over his shoulder at Broadway and Angela. "Why don't you two go grab some snacks and I'll raid the video library. Hudson can't hog this room all the time!"

"Sounds like a plan," Broadway agreed, smiling at Angela. "Shall we?"

Owen looked up from where he was feeding Alex in his highchair. The toddler waved a gummy graham cracker at the gargoyles and squealed.

Angela laughed at the little guy, saying "And a fine good evening to you, young Master Alex." She regarded the blonde man patiently waiting with a spoonful of strained bananas. "Bedtime snack," she asked.

"Yes," Owen answered blandly. "Alexander sleeps better on a full stomach."

"Who doesn't," asked Broadway. Broadway quipped as he dealt out a loaf of bread. He had a system for the mass manufacturing of sandwiches laying out the bread in paisa going down the rows slopping on condiments and thinly sliced meat. He began taking them on the tray Angela brought over as soon as they were finished.

Owen observed the blue gargoyle preparations coolly.

"You could have quite a career in the food service industry," he said, dryly.

"Oh yeah, I can just see myself working the night shift at McDonalds whipping up Big Macs," Broadway said amiably.

Angela giggled and retrieved the soft drinks from the refrigerator.

When they returned loaded down with popcorn, sandwiches, chips, and soft drinks Broadway and Angela found Lex and Brooklyn staring dejectedly at the TV. The big blue gargoyle put the soft drinks and sandwiched down on the coffee table. He glanced at the screen now playing commercials.

"What's with you guys," Broadway asked.

Lex shook his head and cupped his chin in his hands.

Brooklyn curled his lip and growled "Some nights it's just not worth getting off your perch." He looked at their puzzled expressions and then back at the TV flipping channels. "Yeah, they're running it on this channel too."

"-And then these…these creatures came down out of the sky," a woman was saying. "They were so savage they sounded like animals screaming! They grabbed the muggers and my husband and I ran for our lives! We were afraid those things would turn on us next!"

The camera went back to the anchor woman. "Yet another brutal encounter between gargoyles and humans proves to be a mixed blessing," she was saying. A violent crime prevented, but by equally frightening and violent means. What is being done about this gargoyle problem? Our news team went to the monthly City Council meeting to speak to-."

Brooklyn turned off the set and threw the remote down. Broadway and Angela sunk down onto the couch with Lexington. They all alternately stared blankly into space shaking their heads and sighing heavily.

Angela was the one who broke the silence, saying "Sometimes I think I should have stayed on Avalon."

"You don't mean that," Broadway said anxiously. "People won't be like this forever."

"Yeah, right," said Brooklyn, taking a soft drink and popping it open. "The only way we'd be accepted if we were like everybody else."

"Wouldn't it be great to be human," said Lexington, leaning on the couch arm and staring wistfully into space. He looked around at his fellow clan mates. "I mean it, to walk around without anybody freaking out or attacking you. We could go do stuff like humans our age do, go to the movies and sit in the theater instead of sneaking in through the roof, even got to school."

The small gargoyle sighed, saying "They're having the citywide finals in that video game tournament. I've been playing over the Net tomorrow. I even qualified but I'm gonna have to be a no show. If I was human it'd be different. I could walk right in with everybody else."

Brooklyn paused in mid-sip and raised his eyebrows, saying "Hmm that would be cool. You could meet some girls." He and Lex exchanged an understanding look.

"Yeah," Lex agreed. "That would be intense!"

His clan mates could understand how he was feeling right now. Because Brooklyn had now found a girlfriend Lex was the only one left in their little trio who was single. Brooklyn was the one who could definitely understand how his brother was feeling.

"You and I could have a real date," Broadway said, taking Angela's hand. "I'd love to take you to a fine restaurant and treat you to a gourmet feast."

"That would be a treat, wouldn't it," said Angela, smiling warmly at him.

"What are we doing," Brooklyn said rising to his feet. "It's a great dream, but face it it'll never happen. It's not like we're going to say 'We wish we were human and poof! There we are!"

Loud voices from the TV room echoed in the hallway as Owen carried a sleepy Alex back to his room. The toddler turned his head in their direction and opened his eyes blearily.

"—it's not like we're going to say 'We wish we were human and poof! There we are!"

Alex's eyes widened at the word 'Wish'. He saw all four of the younger gargoyles in the room and extended a chubby hand imagining four humans instead. He felt the magic tingling all around him like a warm, fuzzy blanket and as it left his grasp and settled on his intended subjects. Alex then dozed off to sleep.

Brooklyn felt his skin starting to itch all over not exactly painful, but pervasive and spreading. It itched him everywhere between his fingers and toes, the webbing on his wings even his scalp felt like it was crawling with tiny little bugs. An involuntary spasm made him drop the soda can, foaming dark liquid on the floor.

"What the..," Brooklyn started, but his body's sudden contractions forced the air from his lungs.

Brooklyn stumbled and fell back into Hudson's chair. The room was spinning and his vision faded to black. Faint moans from the others roused Brooklyn. He had a vague impression of time passing the innate gargoyle sensitively to the approaching sunrise was very strong now, He groaned as he stretched his aching limbs. He felt as if he'd been worked over with a couple of sledgehammers.

"Uh guys," Lexington said, voice quavering.

"Yeah, Lex," said Brooklyn, finally catching his breath.

"What was that," said Lexington.

Peeling his eyes open, Brooklyn said "Beats me. I don't feel so bad now…Jalapena!" He blinked in disbelief. "What happened to you guys?"

The short human with the brown hair and large brown eyes started back at him and said in Lex's voice "Us? What about you?"

Brooklyn spread his five-fingered hands and looked at them in shock. His brick-red coloring had faded to a ruddy peach. The chronic pain in the base of his neck was gone and his face felt strangely light. He reached up and instead of his homely beak Brooklyn felt a sharp bladed nose, a long chin, and soft human lips. He leaned back in the chair, jumped as his back hit the leather.

Brooklyn yelped "My wings! What's happened to my wings?"

"What sort of magic is this," the human female with Angela's voice asked. She looked up with green eyes made even more vivid with her toasty light brown complexion and sable hair.

"It'll be all right, Angela," Broadway said putting his arm around her shoulders. "This has happened to us before remember guys?" The heavyset blonde man shot a meaningful look at his rookery brothers.

"What's happened before, lad," Hudson asked amiably as he walked in. The old gargoyle stopped in his tracks his hand instinctively going to the hilt of his sword. "What the devil? Lads, Angela…"

Hudson's eyes narrowed and he drew his sword.

"Puck," he shouted.

They all watched Hudson thundering down the corridor with Bronx at his heels. Lex cleared his throat.

"He's really steamed," he said. "I wouldn't want to be Owen when Hudson finds him."

"He'd better hope Hudson finds him before I do," Brooklyn said grimly. He stood up, swaying a little as he tried to keep his balance without his tail. He looked back at them. "Come on," he said.

Elisa waited impatiently for the private elevator to reach castle level. When the doors opened, the person who greeted her was now who she most wanted to see, but not totally unexpected either.

"Hello, Owen," Elisa said. "How are tricks?"

"Good morning, Detective Maza," said Owen. Owen gave an almost imperceptible lift to one eyebrow. "Goliath has just returned. I believe he is on his way here."

"Thanks, Owen," said Elisa. She walked past him into the great hall.

"You're welcome, Detective," Owen replied. "If you'll excuse me, I must attend to a few matters."

Goliath strode in with Othello and Desdemona behind him with a smile lighting his face as his steps brought him closer to his beloved. Before he could reach her, Hudson burst into the great hall.

"Owen! Puck! Whatever you're bloody well calling yourself," the old warrior shouted angrily. "What possessed you to do it?" He brandished his sword under the majordomo's face while Bronx snarled at him.

The pale man looked at the angry gargoyle calmly, saying "I beg your pardon."

Four humans staggered into the room. An angry young man with a flowing mane of white hair and a sharp beak-like nose reached Owen first and grabbed a handful of his suit.

"I thought you were through with these childish pranks," he growled in Brooklyns voice.

"Brooklyn," shouted Goliath. Goliath stared stunned at his second in commands transformation. His eyes trailed at the blonde linebacker that was Broadway, the short teenager with the studious brown eyes that was Lex and between them—"Angela?"

The sable-haired young woman came into his embrace awkwardly, saying "Oh, father! One moment we were ourselves and then this! I don't understand!"

The lavender gargoyle stroked his daughter's hair tenderly even as he glared over her head at Owen.

"Well trickster," Goliath asked with deceptive calmness, "Do you have an explanation for this?"

"It is not my doing," said Owen, frowning and tapping his chin thoughtfully. "However I was giving Alex a magic lesson earlier. None of you were in the castle at the time. Alex had his bedtime and went to sleep soon after."

"But we were back by then," said Angela, lifting her face from her father's chest. "Broadway and I were in the kitchen when you were feeding Alex."

"Alex," said Lex, chewing on a fingernail. "Owen, could Alex have done this on his own?"

"Possibly," said Owen. "He grasped the essentials of transforming inanimate objects very quickly."

"It's just… we were talking earlier about what it might be like, you know, being human. What if he heard us? Could he be able to do it," said Lexington.

"Without being taught the proper spells," said Owen, raising both eyebrows. "Random magic at his age? How precocious!"

Owen allowed himself a small proud smile, saying "Still it explains why he fell asleep so quickly. A major act of magic like that drains a body's energy."

"Point is lady," Hudson said, looking along the length of his sword at Owen. "Can you change them back?"

"Only the one that cast the spell can undo it," the blonde man answered blandly. "I'll have to work with Alex on it, but he'll need his rest first."

Goliath started to bristle and Elisa decided to intervene.

"I think we all need to calm down and think this through," she said reasonably. "Alex is no more than a baby, not quite a year old. We can't really blame him for this."

"Agreed," most of them voiced.

Goliath looked at his young warriors turned human, asking "Why did you want to be human?"

"Aw," said Brooklyn, crossing his arms over his chest and looking a bit embarrassed, "we turned on the TV and the nightly gargoyle menace debate was on it and it was just too depressing."

"We rescued a couple from a gang of muggers," Lex added. "And they were on TV saying they were more scared of us than their attackers."

"Guys, guys," said Elisa. "You can't let these things get to you. Most people aren't like that."

"Yeah, right," Brooklyn snorted, turning away.

"It will be dawn soon," Hudson said thoughtfully. "What will we do then?"

"If I might suggest," Xanatos said as he strolled in, impeccably dressed in Armani even at this early hour. "Maybe what the younger generation needs is to see how the other half lives."

"Speak plainly," Goliath said. "We will need to get to our places soon."

"They wished to be humans right because humans don't understand gargoyles. Sometimes to really understand why people are the way they are you need to put yourself in their shoes. Sometimes to really understand why people are the way they ate, you need to put yourself in their shoes," said Xanatos, looking at the newly made humans and stroked his goatee. "And face it you people are in serious need of a new wardrobe."

Elisa smiled thoughtfully as she looked up at the lavender gargoyle, saying "I think Xanatos has a great idea Goliath."

Elisa looked at Angela and the trio, asking "What do you say, guys? Want to try the life of a human for a day?"

They looked at each other curiously but gradually they all began to smile with growing excitement.

"You mean go hangout in the mall and stuff," Lex asked hopefully.

"You will keep an eye on them won't you," Goliath asked Elisa, apprehensively.

"I don't think they'll need a babysitter, they're all responsible young people," she replied with a laugh. "But I'll check up on them and I'll give them my page number in case they get in trouble."

Hudson pointed to the window, saying "Looks as though we'll be spending the day here."

The rising sun caught Hudson, Bronx, Desdemona, Othello, and Goliath in their stone sleep in the center of the elegant room. Owen immediately went to a closet and retrieved three small signs on slender metal rods, placing them by each gargoyle.

Lex read one of them curiously, saying "Medieval gargoyle, 10th century Scotland? What is this?"

"Whenever any of you gets caught in a public area of the castle like this," Xanatos said, shrugging, "we turn you into a display. We wealthy businessmen are known for our electric taste in art. The same sort of display cards is up by the tapestries and the armor so it's sort of hiding in plain sight if you will."

Broadway turned to Elisa, asking "Did you know about this?"

Elisa smiled and looked away slightly embarrassed, saying "Yeah it made a lot of sense, but I didn't think any of you would appreciate it especially Goliath. You guys usually make it out to your roosting spots so it very seldom happens."

Xanatos clapped his hands together and rubbed them in anticipation, saying "Well! Let's see about getting you guy's street ready! Owen you take the guys and ladies, you follow me."

Angela and the Trio exchanged an apprehensive look.

In Fox's suite of rooms Xanatos opened the closet doors.

"Now if Fox doesn't have something suitable in here," he laughed. "She'll have to tell me exactly what she's been doing when she says she's been shopping."

Elisa and Angela peered in through the double-doors at the racks of clothing and shoes. "I'll be careful of whatever I borrow," Angela promised.

"Oh think nothing of it," Xanatos said with a smirk. "When Fox gets back from visiting her father she'll be mad she missed this. I'll leave you ladies to it and I'll see how Owen is doing with the guys."

Switching on the closet light Elisa stood back with her hands on her hips while shaking her head, saying "Her closet is bigger than my whole bedroom."

"Does Fox really wear all these clothes," Angela asked, walking in tentatively fingering garments at random. She pulled out a tailored dress and held it against her. "How about this?"

Elisa frowned, saying "It's a little fancy for exploring the city with the guys. You might want to settle for something a bit more casual." The raven haired police officer pulled open a drawer in the cedar0lined clothes press. She took out some of the undergarments. "Let's work from the inside out, shall we? You go have a shower and I'll put an outfit together."

Angela put the dress back reluctantly and began unlacing her tunic as she went into the bathroom, asking "Is there anything I should know about being human?"

Elisa laughed, saying "It's pretty much like being a gargoyle only with no wings. Have you thought about what you'd like to do today?"

"The guys probably have the whole day planned," said Angela.

"You know, Angela," Elisa said coming to the door. "You don't have to do what they want all the time. Isn't there something you want to do for yourself?"

"Well…," Angela said thoughtfully, turning on the shower. "There is one thing I've always wanted to do but the guys probably wouldn't like it."

Elisa gave a little shrug, saying "Hey it's your day out, too. You have just as much right to do something you want just as much as they do."

Angela smiled mysteriously as she stepped into the shower.

Xanatos found Owen and the Trio in the storeroom rooting through bins of clothing. His assistant looked up at his arrival and straightened his tie.

"So how's it going guys," asked Xanatos.

Lex held up a dibber shirt and chuckled, saying "I didn't know you had this stuff in here. What's it all for?"

"Christmas, birthdays, and family gifts mostly. I was an only child but I have lots of cousins and their families," said Xanatos. Xanatos was eyeing Brooklyn who was picking through the clothing disinterestedly.

"I have the perfect outfit for you," the billionaire said, crooking a finger at him. Xanatos then led Brooklyn away from the others.

Owen led Lex and Broadway to a guest room where they showed and changed into their new clothes. Lexington kept the dibber shirt which went well with his slouchy, loose jeans, athletic shoes and an unbuttoned New York Yankees baseball jersey. Owen had put some gel in his unruly short brown hair to smooth it down and while he wasn't looking Lex had spiked it. Broadway was decked out in a slimming vertically-stripped polo shirt with dark blue pants and jacket. Unlike Lex he deferred to Owens combed back treatment of his wavy blonde hair and stood in front of the full length mirror admiring himself.

"It's sort of "Miami Vice' meets 'NYPD Blue', don't you think," asked Broadway.

"You watch way too much television," Lex said.

"Hey, Hudson watches more than I do," said Broadway.

Owen cleared his throat, saying "Gentlemen, if you are quite finished in here the ladies are waiting."

Elisa and Angela were in the dining room helping themselves to breakfast.

Broadway grinned and said "Hey, looking good Angela."

She smiled back at him. Angela was wearing rust-colored slacks, an ivory shirt, loafers, and a knit cardigan in brown, rust and dark green. Her sable hair was caught back in her usual long ponytail.

Lex and Broadway loaded up their plates while Owen left the room.

Lex looked around, saying "Where's Brooklyn? I figured Xanatos would be finished with him by now."

"So I am," came the smug response from the door.

Xanatos swaggered in smiling and Brooklyn came in right behind him. Elisa grinned and muttered under her breath, "Boy wouldn't Tara love this!"

"Tara," Angela asked. "Who's Tara?"

"She's my downstairs neighbor. She likes to come up and use my computer," answered Elisa, laughing. "She has a major thing for Highlander and Brooklyn looks just like a blonde Duncan MacLeod."

Xanatos had decked Brooklyn out in black boots, black denim jeans, a red Harley Davidson T-shirt and a black motorcycle jacket. His white blonde hair was combed down and tied in a long ponytail down his back. A few short strands had escaped and were draped rakishly across his forehead.

Brooklyn sighed and slumped into a chair after getting a plateful of breakfast. "It'll do," he said nonchalantly.

"Liar," Broadway teased.

"Yeah, you like the biker look," Lex snickered.

"I don't remember seeing you wear that around the castle," Elisa said to Xanatos.

"That was something Fox wanted to wear for her," Xanatos said, laughing. "I only wore it once."

Owen returned with a manila folder and placed it by Xanatos's plate. The billionaire finished his meal before opening it up.

"Ah," said Xanatos. "Very good Owen." He took out four thin bundles of money and a credit card. "Here's a little spending cash for the day," he said as he doled it out. He handed the credit card to Brooklyn. "I'll let you hang onto this. Try not to buy anything really big with it."

Brooklyn looked the card over. "Jeff Brooks," he said.

Owen flicked up an eyebrow, saying "It seemed suitable."

"So guys," Elisa said brightly. "Thought about what you want to do?"

"I want to go to the mall," Lex said, enthusiastically. "Manhattan Mall has a video game tournament going on right now!"

"I just want to eat in a real restaurant," Broadway said wistfully, looking at Angela.

"Is there a motorcycle dealership around here, Elisa," Brooklyn asked, slyly. "I feel like a test drive."

Xanatos leaned back in his chair and murmured to Owen. "Make sure there's a two thousand dollar limit on that card."

"Yes sir," said Owen, nodding. "I've already seen to it."

Brooklyn had now also turned to talk to Elisa. "Elisa," he said.

Elisa turned her attention over to him. "Yes, Brooklyn what is it," she asked him.

Brooklyn said "I have a favor to ask."


	11. Chapter 11

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 11

The Trio and Angela went down with Elisa. They craned their necks staring at the patch of blue sky up above the sun barely peeking over the edge of the nearby hi-rise buildings. She got in her own Ford Fairlane.

"Are you sure I can't drop you somewhere," asked Elisa.

"Nah, we'll manage, Elisa," Broadway said. "Go get some sleep. We'll be fine."

They all waved as Elisa drove away and hailed a taxi.

"So where do we want to go first?" Brooklyn asked as they wedged themselves into the cab.

"Driver," Angela said firmly, "Drop me at Nightstone Unlimited."

"Angela," exclaimed, Broadway blinking at her.

Brooklyns reaction was more to the point. "Are you crazy," he said.

"Yeah," Lex agreed. "After everything she's done to the clan, why would you want to go there?"

"Because she's my mother," Angela said simply crossing her arms. "This is my day out too and that's what I want to do."

"But, Angela, what if she's not there," Broadway said, reasonably.

"Then I will meet you at the Manhattan Mall later as we planned," answered Angela. She looked out the cab window. "Besides I think I'd enjoy a few hours to myself."

"Suit yourself," Brooklyn said, grudgingly. "Just remember she's not to be trusted even if she is your mother."

"Nightstone Building coming up," the cabdriver announced. "You getting out, miss?"

"Yes," Angela said, glancing at the others. "Yes, I am."

Broadway sat and stared dumbly as she walked into the building. "She didn't even say goodbye," he muttered under his breath.

"So you guys getting out here too or what," the cabbie asked.

"No, take us to the nearest motorcycle dealer," Brooklyn said. He looked at his rookery brothers and lowered his voice. "I don't like Demona anymore than you guys but if any of us could walk in that building and come out again, it's Angela. Demona won't hurt her own daughter."

Angela took a deep breath as she stepped out of the elevator into the executive offices of Nightstone Unlimited. The room was spacious and decorated with sophisticatedly Spartan furnishings.

The receptionist was staring at her. "Good morning, miss. May I help you?"

Angela leaned against the polished teak desk. "Yes, I'm here to see Ms. Destine."

"Do you have an appointment," asked the receptionist.

"No, I'm here daughter," answered Angela. "Please tell her Angela is here."

The woman looked at her exasperated. "Miss, Ms. Destine doesn't have a daughter to my knowledge and I've been here four months," she said.

"Just tell her Angela is here please," said Angela. She fixed the receptionist with a piercing stare. "Please."

"All right," the woman sighed, "but when she says she doesn't know you I have you're reasonable and I don't have to call security." She punched a button on her console. "Ms. Destine? Sorry to disturb you, ma'am, but there's a young woman named Angela here to see you. She says she's your daughter."

The heavy double doors flung open.

"Angela?"

Dominique Destine stood in the doorway attracting stares from her jaded employees with the startled expression on her face. The stunning redhead in a polished business suit stepped towards Angela with hands extended and eyes wide. "My child," stated Demona. "What on earth has happened to you?"

Angela gave a little smile. "I'm sorry, mother," she said. "I should have called first."

Dominique stared at her for a few seconds taking in countless details with her sharp green eyes. "You poor thing," she said finally. "Who did this to you?"

Angela searched for a plausible excuse. "Well there was a little accident last night…"

"No, no!" Dominique gave her daughter a quirky smile. "Where did you get these appalling clothes? They don't suit you at all." She put an arm around Angela and ushered her into her office.

As soon as the doors were closed Demonas expression changed. "My daughter you must tell me exactly what has happened," she said. "What accident?" Her eyes hardened to emerald chips. "Did Puck do this to you?"

"No mother," answered Angela. "It was an accident pure and simple. Broadway, Brooklyn, Lexington, and I were all turned into humans. Father, Hudson, Othello, Desdemona, and Bronx are still gargoyles. There are people working on the problem and hopefully they will have a way to change us back by nightfall."

"Are the others with you," asked Demona.

Angela bit her lip, saying "No, I came alone. I thought maybe since we're both human maybe we could spend some time together not as gargoyles just as mother and daughter?" Angela looked at Dominique's eyes.

Speechless Dominique walked around her desk and sat down. She stared at Angela for a few minutes her expression an enigma. Slowly she reached forward and tapped her intercom.

"Yes Ms. Destine?"

Demona switched her attention to the slim computer monitor. "Constance, I need Head of Sales to chair my 10 o'clock meeting with the Gen-U-Tech marketing people and. Reschedule my luncheon appointment but keep the reservation at the restaurant for me." She smiled. "I'm going to be out of the office until after lunch. I'll be back for my 2 o'clock meeting."

Angela was beaming at her mother. "Do you mean it," she asked, eager.

"Of course, my dear," said Demona. Dominique took a slim, stylish purse from a desk drawer. "First thing we must do is get you some descent clothes. I do hope you didn't pick this hideous ensemble out. It's so dull."

"It wasn't my first choice, no," said Angela, looking down at her clothes. "But Elisa said this would be more practical."

Dominique snorted, saying "My dear never trust the fashion sense of a woman who wears nothing but blue jeans and T-shirts!"

Broadway took off his jacket and flung it over his shoulder. He walked over to Lex who was playing his Gameboy in the shadow of the building. "So where is he," he asked.

Lex scowled at him, saying "You got me." He shaded his eyes and squinted into the mid-day glare at the sound of an approaching rumble. "Here comes Mister Born to be Wild now."

White ponytail streaming in the wind Brooklyn thundered back into the motorcycle dealership and candy apple red Harley. He grinned and pulled off his helmet. "Man that was one bodacious ride," said Brooklyn.

"That's what you said about the Yamaha," Lex said, sarcastically.

Broadway said "And the Kawasaki."

"And the Suzuki," said Lex, stuffing his Gameboy in his pocket and crossing his arms. "C'mon Brooklyn you've had your fun. Let's do something else."

"Yeah," Broadway agreed. "Besides it's getting on towards lunchtime."

"Okay, guys," Brooklyn said with a laugh. Brooklyn swung his leg over and dismounted. "Let me just do something first. I saw the perfect place for us to have lunch at." He grinned wickedly and went inside. Lex was shaking his head. "What do you suppose he's got in mind," he said.

"It could be anything knowing Brook," sighed Broadway. "I wonder how Angela's doing with Demona. Maybe I should have gone with her."

The minute they entered the elite establishment it was apparent that it was one place that the name of Dominique was known, respected and possibly feared.

The elegantly coifed manager hurried towards them with a saccharine smile. "Ms. Destine! How delightful to see you again!"

Dominique returned the artificial expression, saying "Maxine this is my daughter, Angela. She requires the deluxe makeover."

Maxine glanced at Angela shrewdly, saying "Oh yes definitely. That outfit has got to go and the hair." Maxine clapped her hands and an assistant with a clipboard appeared. "Tell Giorgio he's seeing Ms. Angela in a half hour. Clear his schedule."

"I believe we'd like to see something from your junior collection," Dominique said coolly. She flicked an amused look at her daughter. "Something suitable for luncheon at Le Ciel Azure."

"I have just the thing Ms. Destine," assured Maxine. "If you ladies will follow me."

Angela whispered to her mother, "Do you come here often?"

"The nice thing about money is how it buys convenience and subservience," Dominique replied to her daughter. "I've always enjoyed a good hunt, but sometimes it's fun to let someone else do the dirty work." She shrugged. "I've learned it's an effort to be a human woman in this world."

Maxine led them into a mirror-lined room where she seated the two women. Several attractive models began to parade by in stylish outfits. Angela watched all of this happen in rapt delight.

Dominique leaned towards her, saying "You pick the one you like best. They will take your measurements and while Giorgio is doing your hair they will tailor it to fit." She smiled archly. "I never buy off of the rack my dear and neither shall you."

Back with the guys Broadway and Lex were still waiting for their brother when they finally saw him coming out of the garage. Only he didn't come out in the way they had expected. Brooklyn was still holding the helmet and the keys to the red Harley.

Broadway was the first one of these two to comment on that. He said "Hey, Brook, weren't you going to return those things?"

Brooklyn shook his head at his rookery brother's words. "No need, you see I just bought the bike." He said this last bit with a wide smile on his face. These two didn't expect to hear this from their brother although it wasn't much of a surprise to them.

Brooklyn also had something else with him in his hand. When he reached them they saw that what he had was a piece of paper. Brooklyn handed this piece of paper to his little brother.

"Here," he said. As Lex unraveled it Broadway asked what it was. "What is it," he asked.

Brooklyn said "They're directions to that restaurant I was telling you about."

"Why do we need directions when you can just take us there," asked Lex.

"Because I'm not going to be able to take you there. You're gonna have to go on your own," Brooklyn replied. As he said this Brooklyn had gotten back onto the red Harley motorcycle.

Broadway asked "What are you gonna do, Brooklyn?"

"Don't worry about it you'll see in a little while," Brooklyn said. As he was saying this Brooklyn had gotten back on his helmet and started up the bikes engine. Before he left the motorcycle dealers Brooklyn turned back to his rookery brothers. He said "I'll meet you at the restaurant." With that he turned up the power on his bike and rode away from the motorcycle dealers.

His brothers watched him go until he was out of sight. When he was they left the motorcycle dealers as well and used the direction Brooklyn had given them to get to their destination.

As for Brooklyn he was heading for a certain place in order to find a certain person. He was using the directions that Elisa had given him in the castle during breakfast that morning. Every time he came to a corner he kept looking at the sheet of directions to double check where he was going. Brooklyn eventually arrived at his destination. Brooklyn stopped the motorcycle not far from where he wanted to be. He took one last look at the sheet of directions to make sure he had got it right. He had definitely hit his mark. The place he reached was the bookstore where his girlfriend Sata was working.

Brooklyn was now sitting on his new motorcycle not sure what to do next. He just stood there staring at the store for a long time well at least it felt like a long time to him. He was still figuring out what to do when he saw someone come into view at the store window. Recognizing this person his heart stopped where it was. The one who was at the window was Sata. Brooklyn only saw her for a moment before she moved away from it. Brooklyn then made a decision. Brooklyn parked his motorcycle in a safe spot and once that was done he headed straight for the bookstore. While inside the place things weren't what he thought they were.

During this whole time of the separation between us Brooklyn thought that I had gotten through it all right. Only he was completely wrong things definitely weren't all right with me.

It was a good thing work was slow in the store today because I wasn't exactly at my very best at the time. Some of the other employees including my boss noticed this. In fact they noticed that I haven't been at my very best here for a while now. My boss even decided it was time to have a little talk to me.

I was working on a new window display when my boss called me over to him. "Sata," he called to me.

I turned my head in his direction, saying "Yes sir."

The boss gestured with his hand which I took to mean for me to follow him. So I turned away from the display I was working on and went to follow him. We passed some of the other employees on the way to his office. I didn't notice all of the sad and sympathetic looks they were giving me as I passed them. Once inside my boss toke one seat and I took another.

My boss didn't waste any time he got straight to the point. He said "I've decided to give you some time off, Sata."

This was something I didn't expect to hear come out of his mouth. After all the time I worked here my boss had never given me any vacation time before and I had never asked for any either. As many already knew I really needed the money to support myself and my father. I couldn't afford to take any time off for myself so I immediately became worried. I voiced out my concern to him. When I did this a small smile came upon his face.

He said "There's no need to worry, Sata. It's only going to be for a few days."

Once again I voiced out my worries. "But sir I just can't take time off. I need to work on those days," I said.

A look of understanding now came upon his face. He said "You'll still be getting your pay, Miss Sagara, there's no need to worry about that."

I still wasn't going to let him push me out of the store so easily so I put up a bit of a fight. I said "But there's still no need for this."

"Is that so?" The manager's demeanor then suddenly changed. It changed from being business like to being concerned. This was quite obvious on his face. He leaned in slightly closer to me. "Shouldn't you already know the reason?"

A confused expression came onto my face. "Should there be," I asked him.

There was a slight pause of silence.

My boss was the one that broke it. He said "Have you looked at yourself lately Miss Sagara?"

I shook my head, saying "No."

There was another pause and then my boss got up from his seat while I stayed in mine. For a few seconds he was looking for something in his office and then he found it. He then brought it over to me and held it out in his hands. I then saw what it was.

My boss was handing me a small mirror. I looked up at him with questioning eyes and he brought the small mirror a bit closer to me. I did what the manager wanted me to do. I took the small mirror from his hands and brought it into mine. The manager made a small gesture with his hand. I took its meaning and looked down into the mirror to see what he wanted me to see. I honestly didn't get it at first.

All I could see was a sorry looking girl looking back at me. I felt so bad for this girl, she had let her body go too far. I was just trying to figure out who she was when the realization hit me. The girl staring back at me in the mirror was me. I gasped and took a closer look at my image in the mirror.

My reflection in the glass was awful. My eyes had shadows under them and the inside of them looked completely empty. There was no light in them at all and this wasn't the only problem that was there. My face was as pale as was the skin on the rest of my body. I looked like I was dead or a ghost. No wonder my boss was so concerned about me, I looked terrible.

I turned to my boss with a chocked look on my face. "This is what I really look like," I asked him.

My boss nodded his head and gave me a very sad look. I then looked back down at my reflection in the mirror. "I didn't know I looked like this," I whispered.

"Miss Sagara, did you know what could have happened to make you be this way," he asked me. His words made a slight opening in my memory and it brought me more pain. This pain could obviously be seen on my face. "Miss Sagara," my boss said.

I didn't respond to him.

There was another silence and this time I broke it.

I said "Can at least work for the rest of the day?"

My boss nodded, saying "Yes, you can, but take time off starting tomorrow."

I nodded, saying "Yes sir."

I then slowly got up from the chair I was sitting in. I held out the mirror to my boss and he took it from my hands. As he was putting it back where he kept it I opened the door and went out of his office. I then headed back to where I was before the manager had called me in.

On my way back to the front of the store I passed a lot of the other employees again. This time I did manage to notice all of the sad and sympathetic looks they were giving me again. I turned my head toward them in return, but every time I met the gaze of one of them they just turned away and went back to their work. It was then that I knew that they had also noticed my behavior lately. I didn't want their looks and reactions to affect me so I just ignored the rest of them like I was doing before. So once I reached the front of the store I went back to working on that new window display

During the time I was working on that window display I didn't notice someone watching me on the other side of the glass. I was too focused on my work to notice anything at the moment. Once I was done with the display at the front of the store I went back to my other work on the book shelves.

I was just rearranging some books on a certain shelf when I found that someone other than the employees was watching me. I turned my head in that person's direction and saw that it was a young man. Not much older than myself and I noticed that he was quite handsome too. He was tall with white blonde hair which was pulled back in a ponytail with a few wispy strands falling across his forehead. This young man was wearing black boots, black denim jeans, a red Harley Davidson T-shirt and a black motorcycle jacket. This guy had the appearance of a long haired biker and considering where I lived I was actually okay with that.

When our gazes met a smile appeared on his face and he walked right over to me. He stopped just two feet away from me.

This whole time he wouldn't turn his gaze away from my face and it was making me very uncomfortable. Thinking he was a customer I immediately asked if he needed any help with something.

"Hello do you need help looking for something," I asked him.

Saying this I finally got a reaction out of this guy. "I'm sorry what did you day," he asked.

"I asked if you needed help finding anything," I said.

The young man chuckled and that smile of his came back onto his face. He said "I don't need any help but yes I am looking for something."

"Ok, then tell me what it is and I'll point it out to you," I said.

"What I'm looking for is actually a who and I was told she works here," he said.

"Tell me her name and I'll see if she does," I said.

"Her name is Sata Sagara."

Now this caught me off guard. "I'm Sata Sagara," I said that to him.

He said "I know that I'm just playing with you." There was a twinkle in his eyes as he said this to me.

At that moment something suddenly kicked into my memory. I now took an even closer look at this guy. Something about him seemed familiar to me. One thing was for sure his voice really sounded familiar to me. I thought I could definitely recognize it but I couldn't remember where I last heard it from. I took a step closer to this guy.

"You seem familiar somehow. Have we met somewhere before," I asked him.

He said "Yes we have although I don't blame you for not recognizing me. It has been a while since we've seen each other and I've changed a lot since you last saw me."

"And when exactly was that," I asked him.

He said "Oh just a few months ago on the roof of your house."

This caught me by surprise. There was no way this young man could've been on the roof of my house with me. The only person who had sat on the roof of my house with me was…

My eyes widened and I took a deep breath in surprise. I looked into the young man's face in complete disbelief. I couldn't believe what I had just heard. "Brooklyn," I whispered.

The smile widened on his face and a definite twinkle came into his eyes. This really couldn't be happening to me. Something wasn't right here Brooklyn was a gargoyle not a human.

"It can't be there, is no way you can be him," I stated.

"Come on, Sata, of course it's me," he said.

The so called Brooklyn took a step toward me, but I took one away from him. "Prove it," I told him.

The so called Brooklyn sighed and tried to prove who he was. "Ok you want proof I'll give you proof. The first time we met was when I saved you from a band of thugs who were going to molest you. I was there with two other members of my clan," he said.

Ok he may have gotten that right but, I still wasn't so convinced about him.

The young man could see this in my face so he just kept going. "There was also the second time you and I ran into each other. You were being chased by a gang of thugs a different group from the last one. They were going to hurt you when I stepped in and took care of them." He was watching my face to see how I would react to what he was saying to me. He was very satisfied with what he saw there. "You faced me unafraid of what I was and we talked for a while. Well at least until the bus you were waiting for came along. Before that happened you and I had a little moment. You moved closer to me with a beautiful smile on your face. It was raining that night so the water made you look even better. Anyway you brought your hands up to my face and gently took my beak into your hands. You started to move your face closer to mine and closed your eyes. Your lips met the tip of my beak and we kissed."

Brooklyn kept his eyes on my face the entire time he was talking. What he saw on my face convinced him that I finally believed him and I did. I had brought my hands up to my lips and now they were both shaking. What he was saying was so precise to what actually happened that one night. I knew what he was saying was true but I still had to confirm it myself. I took my shaking hands away from my face and brought one of them up to his. I gently rubbed my head on the side of his face to get the feeling of it. Brooklyn closed his eyes and leaned his head against my hand he was really liking the feeling of this.

I may have scrutinized his face before, but this time I managed to get a really good look at him. I found plenty of stuff that I didn't notice when I first looked before. His nose was of medium size with a beak shape to it. Only what had really caught me was his eyes and voice. The eyes were exactly the same shape and color of the eyes of a certain someone I knew. His voice had a soothing tone that belonged to someone I loved. A look of remembrance appeared on my face. The eyes, the nose, the lips, and the voice belonged to my Brooklyn.

At that exact moment the pale death look left my face and the sunken shadowed look left my eyes. My face completely transformed. The brightness immediately came back into my eyes and that seemed to transform the rest of my face. My skin changed from being deathly pale to back to being its usual lovely white shade.

"It is you," I said in a joyful voice.

Brooklyns smile turned into a huge grin and he opened his arms wide. I went into them and the two of us embraced. I even started to cry slightly while Brooklyn gently stroked my hair and murmured words of comfort into my ear.

After a few seconds we did separate and I whipped away the tears on my face. "What's happened to you," I asked him.

Brooklyn looked at himself and shrugged. He said "It's a long story, but to cut it short I was hit by a spell and it changed me into this."

"Huh."

"It's better you don't know," he said. Brooklyn wanted to leave it at that, but I had a different idea about that.

I then asked Brooklyn the questions that I had been waiting to ask him for months now. "Where have you been Brooklyn? Why haven't you come you come to see me," I asked him.

Brooklyn looked straight into my eyes and he could definitely see that I was hurt by what he put me through. He said "I can explain."

I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to explain himself.

Seeing I wasn't going to tolerate any excuses so he just went up and told me the truth. He told me everything but he made it as short as he could without taking any of the important stuff out. Brooklyn knew that his brothers had to be at that restaurant right now just waiting for him to show up. He didn't want to keep them waiting longer than he had to.

When he was done talking I stood there speechless but after a little while I managed to get my voice back. I said "And I thought I had it bad."

"Yeah, you weren't the only one who suffered during this ordeal," he said.

I said "How hard was he with you?"

"Hard enough trust me if it wasn't for Goliath, I would've been to see you long before now," Brooklyn said, pleading. It was quite obvious that he really wanted me to understand the situation he was put in back in his home.

There was no need for him to do so I had already understood. I made that very plain to him, but I also made it clear that I wasn't going to let him off so easily. When I told him this a pained look came onto his face. It was quite a comical one and it did make me laugh. This surprised me I hadn't heard myself laugh for a while now. It actually felt quite strange to finally hear it again after all this time. This felt really good.

Now Brooklyn brought up the reason for why he came to find me at work. He said "Since I'm human for the day why don't we spend the day together."

Hearing this a big smile appeared on my face. I was delighted with what I heard from him. This was exactly what I needed after everything I had been through these past few months. "Sounds perfect," I said to him.

He said "Great now let's go I told my brothers to wait for us at a restaurant."

"Let me just tell my boss," I said. "I can't leave without telling him first."

Brooklyn nodded his head. I was about to leave him when something hit me.

"You said your brothers were waiting for us. Are you saying they're human now too," I asked him.

Brooklyn said "Yes they were hit with the spell as well as me. Now go find your boss we have to go."

Right at that moment my boss came out of his office not far from the two of us. "There he is now," I said.

I ran straight over to him while Brooklyn stayed where he was. My boss was heading for the back of the store when I intercepted him. "Excuse me," I said.

My boss stopped where he was and gave me his full attention. "Yes Miss Sagara," he said to me.

I said "Listen I know I said I wanted to work for the rest of the day but I really need to take off early. Something's come up and I have to go."

My boss raised an eyebrow at hearing this, saying "Might I ask why?"

I shook my head, no. "Sorry sir but I can't. I just really have to go now," I told him.

My boss was about to say no but then he stopped himself. He saw something in my face well in fact my whole body that hadn't been there in a long time.

When my boss didn't answer me I took it that my boss was refusing me. A frown appeared on my face. I said "So I can't go."

My boss immediately corrected his mistake. He said "No, no of course you can go. I'll just give you your pay and you can leave." My boss then turned around and went back into his office.

I turned back toward Brooklyn and saw he had a worried look on his face. I smiled at Brooklyn and gave him the thumbs up.

A few moments later my boss came out of his office with an envelope in his hand. He handed the envelope to me. He said "There you go here's your pay and a little extra now be sure to take time off."

"I'll be sure to do that sir," I said.

"Have a good day now," said my boss.

"I will," I said.

I then turned around and headed straight for Brooklyn. My boss watched me go over to him. He watched me embrace and kiss Brooklyn for a moment and then head out the door arm in arm with him. My boss suspected that this young man was the one that got me to change back into my old self so quickly. To be honest he was quite happy about that. Once Brooklyn and I had left the store my boss went back to his duties in the store. As the two of us left the bookstore I put my paycheck into my purse for safekeeping.

As soon as the two of us exited the bookstore Brooklyn immediately led me over to a red candy apple colored Harley motorcycle parked not too far away.

I stopped in my tracks when I saw it with a look of amazement on my face. "Wait a minute this can't be yours," I said. Brooklyn said "Yes, it is. I just bought it."

"No way," I said.

He said "Way." Brooklyn sat down on the front of the red Harley and put on his helmet. He then picked up the second helmet and handed it to me.

I put it on and took the spot on the bike behind him. As soon as I sat down behind him Brooklyn started the motorcycles engine. A huge roar filled my ears as the motorcycle was turned on me.

Brooklyn looked back at me before we started moving. "You'd better hold on," he told me.

Brooklyn didn't have to tell me twice. I wrapped arms around him and I wasn't gonna let go. Brooklyn revved up the engine and letting out a burst of speed we were on our way. I let out a squeal of delight as we speed off and I hung on even tighter to Brooklyn. We speed through plenty of cars, traffic, and intersections to get to our destination. I enjoyed every single moment of it.

As for Brooklyns brothers they were already at the restaurant waiting for their brother to show up. Broadway and Lexington were really starting to get impatient. Lexington was playing that game of his again.

"What do you thinks taking Brooklyn," Broadway asked him.

Lex said "I don't know." He wasn't taking his eyes off of his game.

Broadway was rubbing his stomach. "Well he'd better get here soon because I'm hungry," he said.

Lex said "You're always hungry."

Broadway gave his little brother a look and then turned his attention back toward the roads. Since Lexington was completely focused on his game it was Broadways job to keep an eye out for their brother. These two just had to wait only a few more minutes until their brother turned up. When he did he would bring them a big surprise.

Broadway spotted him coming not far down the street. Broadway nudged his brother's shoulder. "There he is," he said.

Lex stopped playing his game and looked in the direction where Broadway was pointing. Sure enough

Brooklyn was coming their way on that red Harley motorcycle of his. He wasn't that far away now. Brooklyn was at a distance where he could see his rookery brothers and where they could see him. Brooklyn lifted up one of his arms and waved at them. His rookery brothers waved right back. Brooklyn had to cut around some cars before he could get at them. Brooklyn had to cut around some cars before he could get to them.

On the way over his rookery brothers managed to notice something. Lexington was the first one of the two to actually see it.

Lex nudged Broadway and pointed it out to him. "There's someone with him," he said.

Broadway looked harder at Brooklyn as he was coming toward them on the motorcycle. Now that he thought about it he could see someone sitting on the red Harley motorcycle behind their rookery brother.

"Who is that," Broadway said.

Lexington said "Not sure. I've never seen her before."

At that moment Brooklyn had finally reached them and he parked the motorcycle right in front of them. "Hey guys," he said.

Broadway said "Hey Brook, what took you so long?"

Brooklyn turned off the motorcycle and took off his helmet. "Well I'm sorry guys, but I had to get something," he said. Brooklyn now turned around and spoke to the person behind him. "Sata," he said.

Without another word I took the helmet off of my head and held it in my hands. As I took off the helmet I shook up my hair a little bit in order to get rid of the helmet hair some people get. I smiled at the two young men before me. "Hello," I said to them.

Broadway and Lexington just stood there staring at me. They didn't really know what to say.

After a few seconds I started to feel a bit uncomfortable under their gaze. Brooklyn could feel this so he tried to ease up the uncomfortable atmosphere. Brooklyn cleared his throat and got the attention of his rookery brothers. "Guys this is Sata Sagara," he said.

His rookery brothers were quite surprised to hear this. Broadway now got a bit of a closer look. Now that he thought about he did recognize me as the girl he found Brooklyn with that one faithful night. Brooklyn introduced his brothers to me. "And Sata these are my brothers Broadway and Lexington," he said to me.

Now it was my turn to be surprised. I didn't know that these two young men were Brooklyns brothers. I mean I knew I would be meeting them but I didn't know they were these two. Hearing the name Broadway I became a bit angry. This guy was one of the reasons why I hadn't been able to see my Brooklyn in so long a time. I quickly got over it because that was all in the past and this was the present.

Instead of yelling and screaming at this guy I held out my hand in greeting. "It's nice to finally meet you," I told the two of them.

For a moment none of them did anything but then Broadway held out his hand to shake mine. "It's nice to meet you too," he said.

I also shook hands with Lexington, but I only had eyes for Broadway at the time.

I noticed something while looking at Broadway. There was a certain look on his face. There was an apologetic look in his eyes. It would seem that he was trying to apologize to me with his eyes. I gave Broadway a silent message of my own. With my eyes I told him that he was forgiven. Broadway got the message and a look of relief appeared on his face when he did.

Lexington said "Come on guys let's go inside. I'm so hungry."

"You sound like Broadway," Brooklyn said.

Lex said "Well you haven't been standing here with Broadway this whole time." Lex said this with a very pained look on his face.

That got the rest of us laughing and we all finally went inside to eat.

"Hi guys! Welcome to Hooters!" The buxom hostess beamed as she ushered the trio and me inside.

The garish orange shorts worn by all of the servers were almost louder than the classic Top 40 music blaring from the vintage jukebox by the door. A huge poster of the Hooters Nascar racing team, car decorated with the familiar orange owl logo was on display near the lunch counter. The restaurant was packed with people from all walks of life. There were businessmen in suits, college students, families, and working class stiffs. Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington, and I were shown to a table by the window.

Lex hopped up onto one of the high stools that served as seating for the tall tables. "So what's so hot about this place," he asked Brooklyn.

A pert ash-blonde wearing the obnoxious orange shorts came up to our table. However she had modified her Hooters T-shirt with a pair of scissors and an amazing amount of cleavage was in full view. "Hey guys! I'm 'Shell and I'm gonna be your server today. Can I get you some drinks," she said.

Brooklyn flicked a look at his shell-shocked brothers, saying "Three Coca-colas thanks 'Shell."

"And I'll have a glass of apple juice please," I said.

After she left Brooklyn leaned against the table. He asked "Did that answer your question, bro?"

Broadway shook his head, saying "Angela is gonna kill me."

"What for," Brooklyn snorted. "There's nothing wrong with looking." He was about to turn to Lex for his opinion when he caught me giving him a look. If looks could kill Brooklyn would've dropped dead right there on the spot.

Brooklyn held up his hands as if to fend off an attack. "What," he asked me.

I spoke to him through gritted teeth. I said "If you want me to keep being your girlfriend I suggest you keep your eyes off of those other girls." There was an extremely dangerous glint in my eyes as I said this to him.

Brooklyn sighed, saying "All right, all right I won't, but there's still nothing wrong with looking."

Wrong thing to say, that just made me even angrier.

Brooklyn saw this immediately and he knew he was in hot water. He then turned to his youngest brother for back up. "Is there, Lex," Brooklyn asked him. Brooklyn looked across the table at the youngest member of the trio. "Lex?"

Lex wasn't paying attention to anything Brooklyn was saying. He was too busy staring at the empty place where the girl used to be, brown eyes wide and startled.

Broadway waved a hand in front of his face. No reaction at all. "Oh, terrific. You've killed Lex."

"Aw, he'll be fine once his hormones settle down," Brooklyn replied. He reached over and snapped his fingers under Lex's nose. "C'mon Lex wake up!"

"Huh? What?" Lex scowled at Brooklyn. "Don't do that, geez!"

Brooklyn grinned at his shorter brother, saying "There's no point in asking whether you like it here or not." He looked at the menu. "Well guys I say we grab some burgers, admire the scenery and head over to the mall afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan," Lex agreed. A menu was in his hand and his eyes were roaming around the room.

"You're a bad influence on him," Broadway said, sourly. "What would Goliath and Hudson say?"

"Hey, Hudson would probably like it here. Remember in the old days he used to go into the village and have a few drinks with that blacksmith he was friends with," said Brooklyn.

Broadway smiled, saying "Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. You know sometimes I have a hard time remembering the old castle days. Somebody ought to get Hudson talking and write them down."

I had been looking out the window while these three had been talking, but this had caught my attention. "What old days? What are you guys talking about," I asked them.

At that moment 'Shell came back with our drinks so they weren't able to answer me. She took our orders but things slowed down when she got to Lex. He was staring at her helplessly and was too tongue-tied to speak.

She laughed at and asked him playfully, "Hey cutie," she said. What can I get for you?"

"He'll have the same we are" Brooklyn said, rolling his eyes. "He'll be all right when he gets over the hormone surge."

"No problem," 'Shell said, scribbling on her order pad. "We get more guys bringing their kid brothers in here. I think it's awfully sweet of you guys." She winked at the guys and walked off.

The guys watched her walking away and sighed. "You know Brook," Broadway said.

"This isn't a four-star restaurant but it's got great atmosphere." He held his hand out, palm up.

Brooklyn slapped hands with him. "Knew you'd like it," he said. Brooklyn was smiling big time, but when he saw the look on my face it then disappeared. Changing the subject he then started telling me about the old days that he and his brothers were talking about before.

Broadway and Lex soon joined in and all three of them were telling me incredible stories about their past.

Dominique was passing impatiently in the private salon when Maxine reappeared. She smiled generously and held the door open for the shadowy figure behind her. "Viola madam! Your daughter, Ms. Destine."

Angela stepped into the room looking anxiously at her mother for her reaction. It was not long in coming.

"Angela, my child!" The red headed woman beamed with the smile creeping uncharacteristically up into her eyes. "An excellent choice you look beautiful." She glanced at the manager. "Another masterpiece Maxine. Well done."

The elegant woman nodded her head gracefully, saying "It's easy when you start with such an attractive young woman."

Angela caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrored wall and turned around to admire her new look. She had chosen a classically styled sleeveless dress and matching tailor jacket in warm periwinkle polished silk. The vivid color made her toasty skin tone glow and her emerald eyes shine even more brilliantly. Her skirt stopped modestly above the knee and beige high-heeled pumps lengthened and shaped the contours of her legs. The hairstylist had cut six inches off her hair. Angela had refused to cut it more. He had re layered it slightly to flatter the shape of her face. He had done some sort of sorcery with strange gels and lotions and styled her hair with an off centered part that lifted her heavy locks into a simple but elegant creation. A light application of cosmetics completed the look and all in her life Angela never thought she would ever look so much like a princess.

Angela looked at her reflection, fingers lightly touching the glass.

"Believe it my dear," said Demona.

Dominique came up and stood beside her. Without their individual gargoyle coloration and traits the similarity between mother and daughter was clearly apparent. They shared the same eye color, face shape, and figure. Angela's features still had the soft roundness of youth while Dominique even in human form had the sharpness honed by ages of bitter loneliness. Still as her eyes rested on her daughter's image in the mirror a small trace of tenderness entered her expression. She then handed a platinum card of hers over to Maxine.

At the woman rushed off, Dominique said "This was a pleasant morning's diversion. Are you ready for lunch?"

"Yes mother," said Angela, tugging at the sleeves of her new jacket. "Do you do this often?"

"When necessary," said Demona, glancing at the doorway. "Have you given any thought to what you will do if you do not go back to you original form at sundown?"

"Ever since the accident it's been hard thinking of anything else," said Angela, frowning. "I did not wish for this. I have always known who and what I was and I have always been ay piece with myself." She turned and looked at her mother. "Mother I'm not sure what I'll do if I don't return to my true self."

"I can help, you know," Dominique said in a lowered voice. "I've made a lengthy study of magic over the centuries and I have a spacious house all to myself. There is more than enough room there for you to come live with me my dear if you choose."

The look in Angela's eyes was hopeful, yet wary. "I'm not sure mother," she said, "I'd love to visit but I know father would be terribly upset if I moved away from the clan."

The red headed woman frowned, but before she could speak Maxine re entered the room with small leather bound folder and a gold pen. Dominique signed the bill with a minimum of chit chat and she and Angela were out the red door of the establishment and into a waiting car in the minutes.

"Driver, Le Ciel Azure," Dominique ordered, curtly. She then turned to her daughter. "You'll enjoy this restaurant my dear. It's one of my personal favorites."

Angela smoothed out the fabric of her shirt and looked out the window pensively. "So many people," she said, "I never see crowds like this at night. Families on outings, children playing… it's a whole different world."

"It could be our world if we wanted," Dominique said. The sable haired young woman leaned back in the seat. "I think there's room enough for all of us out there, day and night dwellers alike," she said.

Dominique frowned, but said nothing.

The car soon pulled up to a glass and chrome structure not far from the Manhattan Mall. The large teal-tinted circle above the entry proclaimed the restaurant name Le Ciel Azure in elongated elegant letters.

The red haired executive marched up to the podium and demanded her table. While he scurried off to see to her reservation a striking woman entered the restaurant. Her hair was black as night and her gray eyes seemed to take in every detail at once. She spotted them right away.

"Dominique Destine! How good to see you again!" The tall woman with a faint Irish accent held out her hand. "Mavis O'Connor, Maddox Technologies. We were at the Manhattan Women in Business luncheon last week?"

"Yes, of course," Dominique said, smoothly. "Mrs. O'Connor. How are you?"

"Quite fine," said Mavis. Mavis looked Angela over shrewdly. "Now isn't she a lovely lady. Your niece, is it?"

"My daughter, Angela Destine," said Demona. "She's visiting me today."

Mavis's eyes widened slightly, saying "Sure and you're joking me! It's much too young you look to have such a well-grown daughter."

"I age very well," Dominique replied, dryly. "Angela this is Mavis O'Connor. She represents a new company in town."

"I'm pleased to make you acquaintance Ms. O'Connor," Angela said, politely. Something about the woman's intense stare made her uneasy.

Mavis smiled and looked back at Dominique, saying "I had no idea you were married with family." "Angela's father and I parted ways many years ago," Demona answered. "It was unpleasant and I don't care to dwell on it."

"I've had ex husbands like that. I know exactly what you mean," Mavis said. She turned her attention over to Angela. "So where is it you've been living Angela?"

Angela blurted it without thinking. "Avalon," she said.

Mavis blinked. "Avalon…," she said.

"Avalon, New Jersey," Dominique added, recovering smoothly.

"But I live with father now," said Angela. She looked at her mother gratefully. "I'm looking at colleges."

"It's Bryn Mawr I'd be recommending that's an exceptional school for studious young women," Mavis said. "Also, there are many fine schools right here in Manhattan."

The maidtr'd take that moment to return and mercifully they were spared further conversation.

Angela whispered to her mother "Thank you. She caught me off guard."

Demona gave her daughter a stern, unhappy frown. "That woman is sharper than a swrod blade and I know very little about her. Now she knows more about me than I do her and I don't like that at all" she said.

They were seated at a private table at a discreet distance from the others. Dominique ordered a light lunch and Angela followed suit. The red haired woman crossed her arms and leaned against the table.

"It is inconvenient being human at times," Dominique said, bluntly, "but you will find it has a few advantages. You can hide in plain sight from fools like the quarrymen and you are no longer vulnerable during the day." She looked down at her blunt-five –fingered hands. "I despise humans they have brought me only betrayal and grief. Like you I did not ask for this form but it has its uses."

"I don't think that I will make a good human," Angela said. "I have no skills to fall back on. We led an uncomplicated life on Avalon."

"Nonsense," Dominique snorted, "you are the best of Goliath and me as much as I loathe your father and his faith in humanity, he was a worthy mate and a good leader. No child of ours will ever be a failure."

Angela turned her water glass between her hands. "Do you really hate father that much, she asked.

"I think he is a naïve fool and his dreams of peace are just that, foolish dreams," said Demona. She sighed and her eyes grew distant. "But once, ah my daughter! Goliath was a force of nature to be reckoned with! He was the best possible successor to Hudson it was evident even when he was a novice warrior and. I was proud to serve as his second in command and to be his mate."

"What happened," Angela asked. "I know fathers side of the story and what the others have told me. But what about you mother?" Her eyes softened. "I cannot imagine what your life must have been like."

Dominique sighed bitterly, saying "My story is a tale much too long for one telling. Suffice it to say I've been hunted, hated, and feared for over millennia. Never in that time have I known love."

"All things change mother," Angela said, "even that."

Lexington was admiring his new acquisition as the trio ambled down the street. "It sure was nice of 'Shell and the girls to sign this for me," he said. He was carefully rolling up his Hooters T-shirt and tucking it under his arm.

Broadway and Brooklyn exchanged a bemused look over his head. "Well maybe they felt sorry for you the way you kept hyperventilating every time they came to our table," Broadway said jovially.

"And a nice big tip helped too," Brooklyn added. He reached over "And that lipsticks probably going to have to wear off."

"Humph!" I hit Brooklyn on the arm and stood up for Lexington. I said "Brooklyn leave him alone. I think it's really sweet what they did."

"You're just jealous 'Shell didn't kiss you," Lex taunted. He then ran ahead to get out of range of the kick Brooklyn aimed at his pants.

"Give the kid a break Brook," Broadway chuckled. "I didn't get kissed either."

"Yeah, well at least you have someone to kiss you on a regular basis," said Brooklyn.

When Brooklyn said this I started to feel a bit hurt so I spoke up. "What are you saying? Are you saying that the times I kissed you weren't good enough for you," I asked him. A hurt look was on my face as I said this to him.

Brooklyn smiled at me and kissed the side of my face. He held me close to him as the two of us were walking together. "Of course not your kisses were perfect. It's just that I haven't had one of your kisses in a long time now," he said.

I said "Only that wasn't my fault now was it, Brooklyn."

Broadway had to hold in his laughter while not too far away Lexington snorted.

Brooklyn had a pained look on his face after I said this to him. He knew I was right, but he didn't know what to say to this. His brothers laughing at him was just making it worse. I saw what their laughing was doing to him so I immediately went to deal with it.

I gave Broadway a punch in the guts and he nearly doubled over from the force of it. Lex was still ahead of us, but I went up behind Lex and gave him a good kick in the behind. Lex yelped and moved even farther away from our little group.

I spoke at the same time. I said "Don't you dare laugh at him especially you, Broadway. You were one of the people that kept us separated for so long." I had a stern look on my face as I said this in order to prove my point.

These two got it instantly and immediately shut up. Broadway in particular had a very crestfallen look on his face when what I said made an impact on him. He definitely knew that what I said was completely correct.

With a satisfied look on my face I went back to Brooklyn and wrapped both of my arms around one of his own. The next thing I did was to give him one of those kisses that he had been waiting so long for. Brooklyn sighed and watched Lex walking a half block ahead now approaching the mall that loomed closer. He ran his hand over his face reflectively.

I looked at him curiously. "You keep doing that Brooklyn. What's the matter? Don't like your new face?"

Broadway nodded his head in agreement to my words.

Brooklyn shook his head, saying "It just feels weird having a flat face that's all. I'm used to seeing a big red beak in my line of sight and having a knot in my neck from the weight of it." He rolled his shoulders around. "I would've liked to have had a chance to kiss a girl before Sata, though. I never have, you know."

Broadway actually seemed very surprised by this. "You're kidding me," he said. "No never have."

Brooklyn thrust his hands into his pockets, saying "The beak works fine, puckers and everything but even back in the old castle days fooling around with our rookery sisters no one ever wanted to kiss me. Beak scares them off." He sighed. "Probably scared Angela off too."

Broadway frowned at hearing this come out of his rookery brother. "Are you still jealous of Angela and me," he asked. "I thought you were over that?"

"Maybe just a little," Brooklyn admitted. "Or to make it more clearly I used to feel that way. I'm fine with it, really. Ever since I found Sata I've thought of nothing else but her. Trust me Broadway I am definitely over Angela. I got over her a long time ago since the night I found Sata. She is my life now." Brooklyn said with last part with a loving smile on his face.

I returned his loving smile with one of my own. At first when I heard him say that he still admired this one female in his clan I became a bit hurt and angry. When I heard him say that I was now the main thing in his life all the hurt and anger just left my body in that one moment. I moved closer to Brooklyn and gave him another one of my kisses. Brooklyn kissed me right back.

Up ahead Lexington looked back at the three of us from the street crossing. He bellowed "Hey c'mon you guys! Stop dragging your tails!"

Broadway just waved him on, saying "We'll meet you there!" He and Brooklyn watched Lex break into a trot, dodging pedestrians as he headed single mindedly for the mall.

"What's the big deal," Brooklyn asked.

"It's the video game tournament," Broadway replied. "While you were out joyriding Lex told me all about it. He called before we left the castle and they still had his place reserved for him."

"I guess we'll know where to find him," Brooklyn said wryly.

I said "Speaking of joyriding are you sure you put the red Harley in a safe spot. Joyriding is exactly what someone will do if they see a ride like that."

Brooklyn patted the side of one of his pockets. He stuck his hand in the pocket and pulled out his red Harley motorcycle keys. He had a really goofy face on as he showed them to the two of us. "There is no way anyone's getting that motorcycle without these," he told us.

I said "But what if someone does?"

Right then the goofy look left his face and a new one took its place. Brooklyn turned and smiled at me but this wasn't the smile he usually gave me. This was the smile of a wolf and I have to admit he looked quite scary. "If anyone takes that motorcycle they're gonna face me. They will be sorry that they did," he said.

Brooklyn then wiggled his eyebrows which looked totally ridiculous with that grin of his. The three of us were laughing so hard while we were walking the rest of the way to the mall. Because of how slow our pace was Lexington definitely reached the mall before the three of us could.

Lexington was completely out of breath and panting by the time he hurtled through the doors of the Manhattan Mall. Fortunately the video game tournament was well advertised and only a short distance away. There were still a few last minute entrants filling out registration cards. Lex only had a moment's hesitation over 'Name', scribbling the name Lex Thomas on the appropriate blank. The rest of the form was pretty much the same thing they used for the internet games.

Lex glanced at the other competitors. They were mostly teenagers with a few stand outs. A burly guy with a square jaw and a habitual scowl stood by himself staring all of the others down. An upbeat Romeo with black hair and green eyes was chatting up the girls. He found himself meeting the eyes of a serious looking blonde girl with a ponytail and a pencil behind her ear. She rolled her blue eyes at the others, snorted and went back to reading the computer manual in her hands.

She looked safe enough to talk to, Lex thought, and the book looked pretty interesting too. He walked over and leaned against the low wall nearby. "So," he began, "you here for the tournament?"

"Uh huh," she replied, sticking her finger in the book. "You?"

"Yeah," said Lex, gesturing around the room. "I don't know anybody here, do you?"

"I know a few of them," she said pointing. "The big flirt is Wraith and the tough looking guy is Hudson." She laughed. "He fell into the river when he was a bid and the name stuck along with most of the river. It was really polluted back then. He's really a sweetheart, he just talks the talk and walks the walk. He and Wraith are both top-ranked players."

Lex's eyes widened at hearing this. "So that's what they look like," he said. "I've played them on the net, they're good."

"Yeah," she said, "what's your handle?" The blonde girl looked at Lex speculatively sizing him up.

"Lex, what's your," he asked her.

She laughed at him, saying "Oh you'll never find out until it's too late but you can call me Liz."

The games master who was a young man was wearing a T-shirt with the tournament sponsors logo splashed prominently across it came into the waiting area. "Okay people listen up! We're gonna start the tournament in a few minutes. The first few elimination rounds will be a variety of games with the skill levels increasing as we go along. By unanimous vote you have chosen Quake for the last three rounds. Are you ready?"

"Yeah," Lex and the others chorused.

"Then let the games begin!"

Brooklyn, Broadway, and I looked up with the other customers in the mall when they yelling started at the unoccupied storefront now housing the video gamers.

Broadway laughed, saying "Sounds like Lex is gonna have fun this afternoon." He looked around at the multitude of stores and vendors filling the mall. "So what do you want to look at," he asked us.

"I don't know," Brooklyn answered.

Brooklyns eyes scanned the mall surroundings. They were standing in full view of a huge glass paneled wall filling the building with warm sunlight. There was a clear view of seven levels of shopping possibilities. Two lower where the video tournaments crowd was and five more upper levels including the one they were on. The gargoyles had spent a lot of time looking down from those windows. In that position they kept watching people swarming around below like ants and now here he and Broadway were on the ground looking up.

"It feels weird being one of the little people," he commented finally.

Broadway looked at Brooklyn in surprise, saying "Yeah I guess it does. Still we might as well make the most of it." His chest swelled expansively as he took a deep breath. "There are all kinds of things here that we'd never got to do or see if we were gargoyles. Let's seize the moment Brook. We'll never get this chance again."

Brooklyn nodded his head in agreement.

I was locked on Brooklyns arm and patiently listened to everything these two were saying. Unlike them I have been to this mall before so I'm not really impressed by it. I could get what these two were feeling since they were now humans instead of gargoyles. Of course this was a big change for them it wasn't for me.

By the time we reached the end of the first row of shops on the main floor Brooklyn and Broadway decided quite amiably to split up. Brooklyn didn't waste time on mundane items. Only the trendiest and most stylish stings caught his eye. Broadway tended towards a more thorough investigation of his surroundings and his rookery brothers impatient pacing along with the foot tapping was getting on his nerves. I was just standing by Brooklyn waiting patiently to move on every time but Brooklyn was the one who was really bothering Broadway. These two agreed to meet later on the main floor overlooking the video game tournament and went their own ways.

Now that his reading skills were better bookstores held a special allure for Broadway. On one of the upper floors he hit the mother lode, a store with a huge mystery book section. He picked out a new Robert Parker and a Lawrence Block for himself and a new Ellis Peters for Hudson. Hudson was very fond of the 11th century setting of the Cadfael mystery series. He took his purchases back down to the first floor and took a seat in the filtered sunshine where he could both read and keep an eye out for Angela.

The two businessmen had been eyeing them all during lunch. Angela had been trying to ignore them but one of them had caught her glancing at them. He gave her what he probably thought was an encouraging smile. She thought it just made him look greasy. Finally as she and Dominique nibbled on delicate slivers of fruit and icy kiwi sorbet, the two men made their move and came to their table.

"Lady's my friend and I were wondering how two such lovely creatures as yourselves would like some company on such a beautiful day," the taller one said.

Angela honestly didn't know what to say and shot a look across the table at her mother. Dominique's face was calm, composed, even pleasant, but her left hand had a white knuckled grip on the silver table knife.

"I don't believe so," Dominique purred, a hard glint in her eye. "My daughter and I are having a private conversation."

Both men did a double take between the two women. "You're kidding," the shorter one finally said. "Begging your pardon but you don't look old enough to be her bother."

Angela caught the shift in her mother's body language and spoke up quickly before blood could be spilled. "Gentlemen please leave us alone," she said. "We do not want or desire your company." They started to protest and she stopped them with a look. "Leave now before I call the manager."

The two men went away muttering rather uncomplimentary things under their breath.

Angela let out a deep breath and relaxed. She looked at Dominique and smiled in relief. "For a minutes there mother I thought you were going to attack them with that knife," she said.

Dominique examined the table knife still clenched in her hand in surprise. "No I don't think so." She tested the edge with the ball of her thumb. "It has too fine an edge. For truly annoying pests I use a spoon," she said, archly holding up that particular utensil.

Angela stared at her mother in disbelief for a few seconds before starting to chuckle covering her mouth with her hand. Dominique kept her straight face for a full minute before she looked at the spoon in her hand and gave into the ridiculous. Mother and daughter laughed until the tears came into their eyes.

Up on the fifth floor of the mall Brooklyn and I spent the better part of an hour browsing in an unusual store. They had books, compact discs and fine art prints, very reminiscent of a classic British bookstore. He did love a good Harley but Brooklyn was also a closet Shakespeare fan and there were more than enough titles to catch his interest. I liked these kinds of things too, but I had to look a bit harder for stuff I liked.

We felt a little bad ditching Broadway especially Brooklyn. Ever since his rookery brother began stepping out with Angela the old trio hadn't been the same.

At first privately Brooklyn and Lex were terribly jealous, but were very determined not to show it. Lex was coping by throwing himself into his computers and internet buddies.

Brooklyn kept reminding himself that he was being groomed for leadership and that a leader was expected to make sacrifices for the good of the clan. It was a noble speech, but no matter how many times he repeated it to himself in the past it didn't make a bit of a difference. Angela's rejection had left its mark on his heart that is until he met me.

Brooklyn and I both selected a couple of books and bought them, wandering back out to the mall. We noticed that there were more people now and it was getting warmer especially this close to the skylight. Brooklyn mentioned something about being hot so we found a good spot to set our books down on a bench and he started to pull off his jacket.

On the breezeway of the level we were on my friend Jenna was standing by a railing just talking to one of her family members on her cell phone. She was with her own boyfriend Darrel when she noticed something interesting below them. Jenna's eyes widened when she saw it and she ended the conversation she was having on her phone.

"I'm gonna have to call you back," she said to whoever was on the other end. The next thing she did was close up her cell phone and move closer to the railing to get a better look at what she was seeing. "Oh my god," she said.

This caught her boyfriend's complete attention. "What is it, Jenna," he asked her.

She took Darrel's arm and she pointed somewhere across them. "Look down there," she said to him.

Darrel did as he was told and he looked over to the rail. When he did his jaw just dropped open at what he saw.

These two were fixated on two people walking out of a store across the breezeway. One of them was a person they both could recognize. It was their friend Sata Sagara and she wasn't alone. With her was a tall guy with white blonde hair which was pulled back in a ponytail with a few wispy strands falling across his forehead. At one point he put his purchase down on a bench and pulled off his black leather jacket.

Jenna gasped, "Be still my heart."

Darrel gave her a look hearing this from her. Jenna just ignored it she only had eyes for the scene playing out before her.

At that moment the white haired guy flung that leather jacket of his over his shoulder.

What Jenna saw next drove her completely off the edge.

The guy with the white hair wrapped his arm around her friends waste. He pulled Sata close to him and planted a kiss straight on her mouth.

Jenna's eyes grew enormous and Darrel's jaw dropped even lower than before. What surprised them even more was when the guy with the white hair pulled away from Sata and she laughed with a really big smile on her face.

These two couldn't believe what they had just seen. For months now Darrel and Jenna had watched their friend go into a big depression where she seemed like a ghost. She seemed so empty not really speaking to anyone not even her friends and. Now to see her back to herself so suddenly after they saw her in that depression before was definitely something to look into.

Jenna turned to her boyfriend Darrel with a complete look of disbelief on her face. "Can you believe this," she asked him. Darrel was shaking her head in disbelief. "No way," he said to her.

Before they could say anything else they saw Sata and the white haired guy started to walk away through the crowds out of their field of vision.

Jenna tugged on her boyfriends arm. "Come on, before we lose them," she said. Darrel wasn't going to miss any of this so these two were off.

Brooklyn flung his jacket over his shoulder. He then took me by the waste and drew me to him. Brooklyn gave me a good, long, firm kiss, His soft human lips worked pretty well, he though, and wondered when he would be able to do it again with his beak. The two of us broke apart and I looked at him stunned and wide-eyed. That only lasted for a second before I started to laugh with a really big smile on my face. Brooklyn smiled at me and tucked his purchases under his arm.

The two of us then headed towards the booming sound coming from the music store ahead of us. We were both unaware of being stalked by two people shadowing us on the opposite side of the breezeway. We walked into the store and began looking for the latest Smacking Pumpkins CD. Well Brooklyn was, I wasn't really into that kind of music so I was just helping him look for it.

I was still helping Brooklyn look for the CD when I heard a familiar voice call out my name

"Sata!"

I turned in the direction where that voice came from and so did Brooklyn. I then saw my friend Jenna and her boyfriend Darrel heading straight for us.

"Who is that," Brooklyn asked me.

I said "It's a friend of mine. Her name is Jenna. Jenna." I called to Jenna and waved her over our way. As she was moving closer to us with Darrel I walked over to meet them.

"Hey girl," Jenna said to me.

I said "Hey, yourself."

The two of us hugged each other and when we were done I moved over to Darrel to give him one too.

"What are you guys doing here," I asked them. "

What are we doing here, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at work," Darrel asked me.

I answered "You will not believe it, but my boss has given me time off."

"That's great, you've never gotten time off before," Jenna said.

I said "Yeah, I guess it is."

I then noticed Darrel looking at something over my shoulder. I turned around and saw what he and Jenna were now looking at. Brooklyn was standing not too far away watching what was happening carrying both bags of our purchases under his arms. I smiled and waved him over. He did this without any delay and once he was next to me I wrapped my arms around one of his. I then turned back to my friends.

"Darrel, Jenna there's someone I want you to meet," I told them. I didn't need to do any of the introductions because they actually took it over there instead of me.

Brooklyn held out one of his hands to Darrel. "Hi, I'm Jeff Brooks, Satas boyfriend," he said in a friendly matter.

Darrel brought out one of his arms and these two shook hands. "I'm Darrel and this is my girlfriend, Jenna," he said to Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Darrel let go of each other's hands and brought them back to their sides.

With the introductions done Jenna went back to the subject of before. "So what are you two doing here," she asked the two of us.

I was the one who answered her. "We're just doing some shopping," I told her.

She said "We were going to hand out at the coffee bar. Want to come with us?" Jenna smiled at us as she asked us this.

To Brooklyn her smile seemed harmless but, I've known Jenna for longer than him so I could see right through that smile of hers. Jenna wanted information and she was planning to get it. I swear Jenna was so nosey at times.

Before I could say no Brooklyn answered her quicker than I did. He said "Sure, let's go."

Jenna's smile grew even bigger. She turned around and started to walk away with Darrel toward the malls coffee bar. Brooklyn walked off after them so I had no choice, but to go too. I let out a sigh and went to catch up with them before they could disappear into the crowds. This was going to be a very long afternoon.

Dominique stood at the open door of the cab looking at her daughter. "Are you sure I can't drop you over somewhere, my dear," she asked. "It would be no trouble at all."

Angela smiled and shook her head, saying "No thank you, mother. I can see the small where the guys are supposed to meet me from here." She looked up at the daytime sky. "Besides I think I'll enjoy the sunshine while I can."

"I understand completely," Dominique said, with a wry smile. "Let me know if your situation does not change tonight. I have some small skill in such matters."

"I'll let you know," Angela promised.

Angela took a step forward and brushed her knuckles across where her mother's brow ridges would have been in a traditional show of gargoyle affection. "Thank you, mother, I will never forget today," she said.

Dominique blinked very hard several times and returned the gesture, saying "Neither will I my child, neither will I." She sat down in the taxi and began to shut the door. "Perhaps we could do this again?"

"I'd like that, mother." Angela smiled as she stepped away from the curb. "Good bye."

The red headed woman nodded, saying "Farewell then, Angela. Driver! Nightstone Unlimited!"

Angela watched as the taxi cab pulled away into the afternoon traffic. She took a deep breath and smiled feeling the warmth of sunlight on her skin. Such a delightful day. She started walking in the direction of the mall, but only got a few yards before she was abruptly jerked off her feet.

"Whoa there, miss!" Strong arms caught her and Angela looked up into an ordinary face. The young man smiled at her warmly, saying "Are you all right? Your shoe got stuck in the grate."

Angela glanced down.

He was right she hadn't been looking where she was going and walked right into the recessed metal grid.

Angela composed herself. "How foolish of me," she said, brushing her hair from her face. She started to bend down for the one show when he stopped her.

"Please miss allow me."

He bent down and while he gently pried the shoe free Angela got her first good look at him. Her Good Samaritan was roughly Brooklyns size with an average build and chestnut brown hair. He smiled at her as he handed her the beige pump, sunshine flashing briefly on gold rimmed glasses and she had an impression of blue eyes. He stood up as she slipped it on.

"Thank you," Angela said, gratefully.

"Oh, it was nothing. Just my good deed for the day," he said with a laugh. He then started to walk away.

Angela only managed a few steps before a screaming pain shot up from her ankle. She limped to a nearby bench, dusted it off and sat down to rub her foot.

"Hey, are you sure you're all right?" The friendly young man sat down a polite arms length away. He held out his hand. "I'm Richard, Richard Harrison."

"Angela … Destine," she said, shaking his hand. "I must have turned my ankle."

"May I?" He smiled and held up three fingers. "Eagle Scout you know honest, loyal, brave, trustworthy, and true. I've had a few first aid courses."

Angela studied him carefully. He seemed earnest enough and it was awkward examining her own ankle. She held out her foot, saying "All right."

Richard probed her ankle gently carefully rotating her foot. "Well it's not a bad sprain," he said finally. "I think if you rest for a few minutes, it will be fine."

Frowning Angela put her shoe back on. "If I'm very late they'll worry," she said, absently. She looked at Richard who was watching her intently. "I'm supposed to meet friends at the Manhattan Mall."

He stood up and offered her his arm. "What a coincidence! My brothers got a free speech rally near there that I'm supposed to go to. If you'd like to lean on me I think we can both get to where we're going to on time," he said.

"Thank you, Richard," Angela said, warmly. "That's very kind of you."

Tongue stuck in the corner of his mouth eyes barely blinking hands instinctively working the controls Lex stared at the view screen. He'd made it up to the third level of the competition taking out players with the colorful names of Master Chomper, Demaka, Draconic, and Merlyn. Now he was playing Quake against Wraith and blood and gore was flying everywhere.

Liz was at another game station nearby taking on her own challenger. Between games Lexington watched her play. She was the first girl he'd met relatively close to his own age and as gamers went she was good, very good. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as she focused on her screen blowing her bangs out of her eyes absently. The momentary distraction almost cost him the game. Wraith popped out of a corridor and fired a salvo at him. Lex swore under his breath as his natural quick reflexes helped him dodge the gunfire. He fired a grenade and nailed him in the chest.

"Aw man," came the wail for the other side of the game station. The dark haired young man with the green eyes walked around and shook Lex's hand. "Good game, pal. Great playing."

"Thanks," Lex answered. "You nearly got me there at the end."

"Don't I know it," Wraith said, cheerfully. They both watched as Liz and her opponent ducked it out. "I'm kind of glad I'm out of it." He nodded to the grim guy also watching the game across the room. "Hudson and Gator made it to the semi-finals too and I'll bet anything Eliminator makes it too."

"The Eliminators here." Lex whistled. "I've only heard about him. Is that him," he asked, pointing at the guy playing Liz.

Wraith bit his lip even as the corners of his mouth crinkled, saying "Think 'e-Liz-inator' dude."

Lex stared open mouthed at the petite blonde. "Liz? She's the Eliminator," he exclaimed, in disbelief.

"Yeah that sweet young thing is one of the most vicious players on the gaming circuit," Wraith said, with a laugh. He clapped a hand on Lex's shoulder. "Better you than me, pal. She's gonna eat you up and spit you out."

Lex didn't notice his opponent leaving. He was still stunned at the revelation that the soft spoken girl was also one of the top hard core gamers in the Manhattan area. He had lurked on a number of her games where she had torn her opponents to shreds like a pit bull on steroids. She caught him watching and gave him a dimpled grin.

"Geez," Lex muttered to himself, "talk about Beauty and the Beast."

He couldn't believe his good luck. It was just like his grandmother was always saying one good turn deserves another. A simple courtesy to a damsel in distress had given Richard a beautiful young woman leaning on his arm. She was gorgeous with those vivid green eyes looking up at him from that flawless face framed by waves of dark hair. Her voice warm and satiny was soft but he could hear the intelligence in it. This was a girl in a million.

Richard glanced at her. "So how has your day been?" He laughed. "Up until the point where you hurt your ankle, of course!"

"It's been very nice, thank you," said Angela. "I was visiting my mother. We don't often have the opportunity to get together."

He nodded, saying "I know the feeling. Until I joined this group my brother's into it was really hard finding the time to get together."

Angela smiled, saying "I understand completely. I miss my brother, Gabriel sometimes now that I live here. We were always very close."

"Yeah, George and I were that way once," Richard said. "He joined the air force and when he got out it was like he was a whole different person. Now we go to meetings together and it's just like old times. It's really helped having something in common again."

"Something in common, hmm." Angela pursed her lips as she thought about it.

Richard watched her out of the corner of his eye and added a very kissable looking mouth to Angela's list of virtues. "Penny for your thoughts," he teased.

She gave him that serene Mona Lisa smile again. "Oh, nothing really," she said. "Tell me more about this free speech rally of yours brothers. What's it about?"

"Oh, this and that, city politics mostly. George had a degree in political science before he went into the air force. Now he's working on the staff of this guy um Castaway doing PR work," said Richard. Richard felt Angela twitch suddenly. "What's wrong? Is it your ankle?"

A troubled frown replaced the smile. "Please Richard this group you and your brother belong to, it's not the Quarrymen is it," she said sadly. "Well yeah."

He looked back at her puzzled. "I know some of their ideology is a bit radical but you'll have to admit the police have done absolutely nothing to control the gargoyle situation. It's a constitutional right to defend ones home and we have to take care of these creatures once and for all."

Angela let go of his arm and pulled away, saying "Whatever Castaway has told you it's all lies. Gargoyles are innocent of all the things he's said about them. They are just as intelligent and caring as any other being on this planet."

"Where are you getting this stuff from Angela," Richard snorted. "It's like you're saying they're just like you and me."

"Maybe I am," she said. There was now a fierce light coming into her eyes. "Have you ever thought how the gargoyles feel about being hunted? About living with the fear of never waking up to another sunset because someone has smashed them to rubble? Of the pain caused by being struck by one of those electrified hammers you Quarrymen carry?" Her eyes were burning with anger. "Before you take a stand Richard try to see both sides of the story." She started limping off towards the mall entrance which was still a half a block away.

"Whoa." Richard stood there blinking in stunned surprise. "What did I say to deserve that?"

Broadway turned the page as he followed Spenser into the abandoned building. He was rather proud of his reading skills now. He was still a bit slow compared to his rookery brothers but at least he'd finally stopped having to trace the words with his finger like Hudson occasionally did. He'd been keeping an eye on the video game tournament, monitors were mounted prominently in the mall nearby. Lex seemed to be doing fairly well and was up in the semi-finals. Alternately he flicked a look at the doors out of habit and was going back to his book when he froze and took a second look.

Limping in the door looking absolutely stunning was Angela. She had changed from Fox's casual outfit and was now wearing an elegantly cut dress and jacket done in a fabric that glowed like soft blue halo around her. Her dark hair was loose around her shoulders and he felt a sudden urge to run his fingers through it. She was a high class dame if Broadway ever saw one. He grinned and stuffed his paperback book in his pocket.

"Hey, Angela!" He stopped a few feet away and gave her another long look. "You look like a million bucks," Broadway said with Spenser's smoothness.

She smiled. "Well I don't feel like a million bucks," she said as she hobbled towards him. "I've hurt my ankle. I don't know how woman walk in these shoes."

Broadway helped her over to the bench. "How's your mother," he asked as politely as possible.

"She's fine," Angela answered with a raised eyebrow. "She was surprised to see me."

"No kidding," he said, ironically. "I'm sure she thinks it's our entire fault."

"Actually we didn't talk about the clan that much at all," she answered. "Today we were just a mother and daughter spending time together." She smiled. "I could use a few more days like today."

"I'm glad you had a good time," said Broadway.

Angela sighed and wrapped her arms around his biceps. "And what have you guys been up to," she asked.

Broadway showed her the books he'd purchased. "There's a shop here that sells tons of mystery books. I stopped looking after that but Brook's still wandering around, I think. We were going to meet right here because Lex is playing video games." He pointed at the monitor.

"Each to his own I guess," Angela said with a laugh.

Lex and Liz prepared to face off.

"So are you ready to be eliminated," she said. Her blue eyes twinkled as she asked him this.

"Not a chance," Lex said, lifting his chin. "It's not over until it's over."

She grinned at him, sating "Ok you've been warned!"

They took their seats and started a new Quake game called Scourge of Armagon which added all kinds of interesting new twists. Right off the bat a gremlin popped in and made off with Lex's shotgun not that it made much a difference. Liz was occupied with an enormous cybernetic scorpion. Lex collected new weapons and ammo on his way to the next level firing at the zombie that popped out at him. He grinned and charged into the next room guns blazing.

Brooklyn couldn't remember having so much fun without his brothers along. Things were going really well this afternoon. After meeting Satas friend Jenna and her boyfriend Darrel the four of them had gone to a coffee bar in the mall and were having a great time. He had his arm wrapped around Satas shoulder as the two of them were listening to one of her vacations stories.

"They didn't know I was going to solo. They thought my instructor was with me and like an idiot I didn't check the weather report. It was clear at the airfield. Ten minutes out I hit a band of storm clouds. I didn't know any better so I fought it out and when I landed the air boss dubbed me as Stormy." She laughed. "Now all of the other pilots say storm clouds follow me where ever I go!" The rest of us left when Jenna said this to the rest of us.

As for myself I was still worried that Jenna was going to turn nosey. Fortunately, that wasn't her objective for the moment.

Once I was able to catch my breath I commented on what Jenna said.

I said "Stormy, now that's your kind of nickname. It's the perfect one for you."

"That's what I told her," Darrel said. "It's really cool. I love to glide," Brooklyn said. "Haven't done it in a while, though."

"Hey, just let me know when you want to go up," Stormy said with a sly smile. "There's more than enough for two in my plane.

Darrel gave her a look and I cleared my throat to regain her attention. When I did I gave her a look that told her to lay off of Brooklyn. By the look on her face she got the message.

Darrel was the one to go ahead and change the subject. "So Jeff, why haven't I seen you around before? Where do you go to school?" Darrel was directing his question at Brooklyn.

I was about to answer for him, but Brooklyn spoke before I did. He said "I don't really go to school anymore. You see I graduated a while back."

I smiled at Brooklyn. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he had planned this answer ahead of time. I then turned my attention back over to Jenna. "So Jenna come on tell us about the latest gossip," I said.

Jenna gave me a big grin after I said this to her. "Oh don't worry I've got plenty," she said. As it turned out she did. She was right I was sure she had plenty, but she just told us about one and Darrel added stuff into the conversation now and then. Jenna told us about a new couple at school one that I didn't know about. I wasn't surprised that I didn't know about it because I had been out of it for so long. I was surprised when she told me the names of this new couple.

My eyes widened when I heard the names and I leaned a bit farther out into my seat. "Violet and Marco, no way," I said, in disbelief.

Jenna nodded her head with that big grin on her face. "Oh yes," she said. "I honestly couldn't believe it either when I heard about it."

I then turned my attention over to Darrel. "How long has this been going on," I asked him.

Darrel said "Not long, just started a few weeks ago."

I was still shaking my head in disbelief. "I still can't believe it, Marco and Violet," I said.

Jenna was nodding her head in agreement with me and so was Darrel. Brooklyn was a little bit confused. He didn't know who the people were that we were talking about so he asked about them.

I said "Violet and Marco go to school with the three of us."

"Violet is such a tart, I honestly don't even know how she was able to catch someone like that," Jenna said.

Darrel said "I'm not, Marco is a macker and I could see how he could've won Violet over."

Now Brooklyn got curious about something and he made his thoughts known to us. "What's a macker," Brooklyn asked me.

I had gotten comfortable reclining against his long torso like he was a live Laz-E-Boy chair. Brooklyn found that he really didn't mind. "Boy flirt," I answered, "Darrel heard the term from a brother of his at college and started using it. Boys are mackers and girls are tarts."

Brooklyn laughed and wrapped his arms around me. "Sure beats knaves and wenches," he said.

Jenna's ears perked up at that. "Hey you wouldn't happen to be into that Society for creative Anachronism stuff would you? You know into medieval history dressing in period costumes and all that," she asked Brooklyn.

"A little bit," Brooklyn admitted. "I work security at the Eyrie Building and I've been in that castle on the top. It's full of 10th century antiques and tapestries."

"Really," I said, snuggling closer to him and lowering my voice. "You never told me that."

"I never told you because it never came up and you never asked me," said Brooklyn. "Well I'd love to see it," I told Brooklyn and smiled up at him.

Brooklyn smiled down at me. Brooklyn started to reply when a guy with a short military haircut strutted up to us.

"Hey guys! Did you catch the crowd out front, eh," he asked us.

Darrel said "No, what crowd is that, Will?"

"Those people with the bleu hoods are after having a rally over at Herald Square. There's someone up on a podium talking and it's jamming up the works at the door. Traffic backed up past freaking Macy's," said Will.

Will looked down at Jenna and gave her a peck on the cheek while ignoring Darrel's warning growl. "How's your day going today pigeon head," he asked her.

"I'm fine puddle pirate," Jenna replied. "So what's the rally about," Darrel asked.

Will shrugged, saying "The usual the city isn't doing that. Oh and some junk about smashing gargoyles. I was too busy pushing through the crowd to hear most of it."

Brooklyn and I looked at each other at the same time with the same look on our faces. By looking into each other's eyes we knew that we were both thinking the same thing. Sighing regretfully Brooklyn sat up and I got off of his lap. "Sorry to do this to you guys, but Sata and I have to get going," Brooklyn said.

Darrel said "So soon?"

"Can't you guys stay for just a little longer," Jenna said in a pleading voice.

I shook my head at her, saying no. "Sorry Jenna but we really have to go," I told her.

Jenna pouted, but she didn't make any other move to protest.

"It's been fun people. I'll see you around," Brooklyn said. He winked at both Jenna and Darrel. He and I strode out of the pub with our purchases in hand.

Suddenly the screen changed. Liz had upped the stakes and moved the game to Death match. Lex licked his lips nervously and leaned in over the controller. Lightning crashed and the screen flashed causing him to recoil and blink furiously to clear his eyesight. He fired off a salvo on reflex and winged her but her empathy shield shared the damage between them. He went on the defensive dodging gunfire and marauding centroids. Insane chittering laughter preceded the gremlin that humped him but Lex missed him and the sneaky little monster made off with the wetsuit and the immunity that came with it. Lex swore under his breath and concentrated on evading the lightning traps. A collapsing wall forced a route change and he turned to face his worst nightmare. A head on up close view of an electrified hammer which was crackling with energy and coming down straight on him.

"Ah!" Lex yelled and he involuntarily threw up his arms to block it. His character went down in a shower of sparks.

Liz looked around the games station at her opponent and frowned. "Lex?" She walked over and touched him tentatively. "Lex, are you all right? You're shaking like a leaf."

He stared up at her his dark eyes widened in terror. Slowly Lexington forced himself to calm down to take slow steady breaths. He blinked and shook his head, saying "I guess I just got too into the game." "Yeah, I guess so," Liz said. She smiled at him gently. "I've never had anybody freak out on me before like that. Do you want to replay Death match?"

"No the best player won," Lex said firmly. He held out his hand grinned. "You go kick the next guy's tail."

Lex gave him a dimpled grin back as she shook his hand. "You can bet on it," she said.

Angela and Broadway were sipping on fruit smoothies and talking quietly when Brooklyn came down the escalators. He wasn't alone Sata was right behind him. His face was looking like a thunderstorm waiting to happen. He walked straight past them heading for the doors.

Lex came up a nearby escalator from the game tournament vertebrate audibly cracking as he stretched out his back. He looked at the others. "What's with them," Lex asked.

Broadway frowned. He said "I don't know. Do you suppose they just didn't see us?"

"No matter," Angela said. She tossed her drink into a nearby trash receptacle. "Let's go find out," she said to them.

"—The city council has done nothing to protect us the hard working taxpayers from the gargoyle menace! Every time the subject has been put on the council's agenda it is so far back on the list that your elected representatives either postpone the subject or ignore it all together! The time has come for action! It is our constitutional right to bear arms against our enemies and. Today people of New York the enemy fly the sky at night!"

The speaker paused posing against the back drop of two hammer wielding statues frozen in the act of ringing a huge bell. The convenient symbolism of the art work was of many public relation angles the Quarrymen had taken into consideration when they had chosen Herald Square for their rally. The statuary based on Greek mythology gave their cause a touch of class and subliminal association. It was a prime public relations opportunity.

Richard sighed and crossed his arms as he leaned against the sound equipment. His brother George who was similar looking to his sibling only older with shorter brown hair and no glasses looked up from his clipboard. He was openly wearing an armband with the Quarrymen hammer and circle logo over the sleeve of his dark blue business suit.

"What's with you Rich," George asked. "Something bugging you?"

"It's nothing," Richard said, reluctantly. He frowned and licked at some insubstantial debris on the ground. "I met a girl on the way over and I think I really screwed up when I was trying to impress her."

George rolled his eyes. "Women troubles, say no more."

Richard sighed, saying "She was really easy to talk to and beautiful too."

"And so is this speech I wrote for the rally," George shot back, scowling. "If you don't mind I need to concentrate on the teleprompter here. This guy we've got doubling for Castaway here is no rocket scientist."

Richard got the hint and shut up. When his brother was working he was very simple minded. Richard went back to his job of scanning the crowd for reactions. They were taping them on hidden video cams and those that showed a positive response would be contacted later for their support and possible invitation into the Quarrymen organization. Comments from other Quarrymen scattered throughout the crowd in street clothes came in through the tiny com unit clipped over his right ear. He let his eyes drift over the anonymous faces registering the expressions of curiosity, indignation, apathy, anger, and random boredom. Richard was fighting to hold back a yawn when he spotted a familiar face coming out of the pedestrian traffic across the street.

"Hey," George said, looking up. "Where are you going?"

Shouldering his way out through the crowd Richard passed a long haired biker and a young woman pushing their way towards the podium. He was focused only on Angela's face ignoring the big blonde guy and the short kid she was with. He had to make things right somehow.

"Gargoyles. The very name is alien filled with the gothic fears of darkness." The speaker paused posing in his midnight blue uniform. "We cannot allow them to fly free while the citizens of this city cower in their homes in fear afraid of going out after dark, afraid for their families, afraid of what lurks in the night. We the Quarrymen are actively opposing these creatures as the metropolitan police are either unwilling or incapable of doing. These evil creatures…"

"Evil! Ha! Pal you don't know what you're talking about," came a shout from the crowd.

The Quarryman speaker shot a quick sideways glance at the speech writer who motioned for him to continue. "These evil creatures have already proven to be dangerous! The 23rd precinct building destroyed by gargoyles! Countless acts of vandalism and property damage caused by gargoyles! Reckless endangerment of innocent lives caused by…"

"Quarrymen!"

The heckler had pushed his way to the front a long haired rebel dressed in black with a dangerous glint in his eye. "You have one of those juiced up hammers coming at your head then we'll talk reckless endangerment pal. What about all those illegal helicopters flying around at night? And while we're talking about it, what did a bunch of statues ever do to you?" He thrust an accusing finger at the podium. "Gargoyles never do half the damage you bozos do!"

"The only good gargoyle is a dead gargoyle! What use are they to the rest of us?"

"Only last night gargoyles broke up a mugging spree by a gang that has been plaguing the city for weeks! The white haired young man looked at the crowd shrewdly. "It was on all of the network channels!"

"Now you would have inhuman, unholy, unnatural animals responsible for law enforcement? Young man that's just the manipulation of the news media for better ratings. We Quarrymen operate under the auspices of the United States!"

The young man set his jaw. He retorted "You Quarrymen are just a bunch of urban terrorists and nothing more! If anyone's breaking the law it's you!" The young woman next to him nodded her head in agreement.

The crowd began to grumble and argue amongst themselves.

Angela, Broadway, and Lex stood at the curb staring at the crowd across the corner from the mall. "Uh, oh not good, not good at all," said Broadway.

"What," Lex asked. "I can't see whose talking. Too many people in the way."

"I know exactly what's going on," Angela said, grimly. "It's a Quarrymen rally." She started limping across the street.

"Angela!" Broadway hurried after her. "I don't think you should go over there. Wait a minute."

Lex shrugged and followed the others. "I'd bet anything Brooklyns in here somewhere. Calm down Broadway it's probably gonna take all of us to find him."

An average looking young man with gold rimmed glasses and a small Quarryman button on his collar came out of the crowd towards them. "Angela," he said a smile lighting his face. "I'm so glad you changed your mind!"

Broadway growled deep in his chest and shot a sideways glance at Angela. "Richard," she said calmly. "These are my friends…" She froze realizing their gargoyle names would sound out of place with their human forms.

"Lex Thomas," Lex answered immediately.

Broadway hesitated only a few seconds. "William Rockford." He held out his hand. "Call me Bill."

"Pleased to meet you," Richard replied. He winced as his hand was crushed in Broadways grip.

"I'm afraid we're looking for another friend of ours," Angela said raising her voice. "Two of them actually maybe you've seen them."

The hooded speaker came out from behind the podium. "You're a gargoyle sympathizer! You probably have a P.I.T membership card in your pocket. How can you turn against your own species?"

"That's easy. You're in it aren't you," Brooklyn said, scornfully.

"That's it!" The Quarryman threw down the mike and dived head on into the crowd.

The pitched hum of the crowd grew and people began shouting angrily.

Richard straightened up and touched his fingers to his com unit while shooting a frantic glance over his shoulder. "Look," he shouted. "Angela this is no place for a lady! There's a long haired biker charging the podium. He's gonna start a riot! Please Angela! We've got to get you out of here!"

"Oh good grief," Broadway muttered. He linked his hands together and motioned to Lex. "Take a look and please tell me it's not who I think it is." He heaved his shorter brother up.

Lex rested his knee on Broadways shoulder and looked over the heads of the crowd. He swore under his breath. He said, disgustedly "It's Brooklyn."

Broadway made a split second decision and swallowed his pride."Okay, Richard, you get Angela out of here. Take her back inside the mall. Lex and I have to go get somebody and we'll be along as soon as we can."

"But…," Angela protested, her eyes furious.

"No buts," Broadway ordered. "You can't move fast on that ankle. This crowd is getting nasty. Go on." He turned his back on her and began shoving his way into the crowd. Lex was following in his shadows.

Hands on her hips Angela watched them go indignantly. Richard gently turned her around and got her started back across the street. "I can't believe this," she fumed. "After all we've been through and they're back to treating me like this!" "

What's wrong with wanting to protect you? Bills got the right idea. You're too much of a lady to get caught in a riot." Richard looked at her ruefully. "He seems kind of concerned about you. Are you two dating?"

Angela returned his look curiously. "We've been spending a lot of time together yes."

"Oh." Richard was silent as he escorted her back inside the mall and found her a seat near the entrance so they could watch for the others. Richard took in a deep breath. "Well I'm not exactly sure what I said that made you angry earlier, but I wanted to say I was sorry."

She smiled, saying "That's quite all right, Richard. The Quarrymen are just a bunch of racist bigots and it makes me angry thinking anyone would want to follow that madman. You seem much too sensible for that kind of thing, Richard."

Richard very discreetly plucked the hammer and circle button off his collar and dropped it in his shirt pocket. He took out a pen and a folded up flyer and started writing a series of numbers down."Look I've never been very good at this, but this is my phone number. You can keep it or you can throw it away but you're easy to talk to Angela and I really would like to get to know you better."

Angela took the piece of paper gingerly. "I'm afraid I don't have a phone number to give you in return," she said, smiling enigmatically. "I'm still very new in town."

"Hey, that's okay," said Richard. He held up his hands. "No strings attached, I just want to be friends."

The Trio entered the mall arguing with me close behind them. Broadway and Lex had Brooklyn between them and although they looked a bit ruffled Brooklyn was definitely a bit worse for wear. For myself I looked just fine there wasn't even a scratch on me. Brooklyns red T-shirt was torn, a long clump of white hair was torn loose from his ponytail and the area around his left eye was coloring up.

"What on earth were you thinking?" Broadway was saying to Brooklyn as we were walking up. "You almost started a riot!"

Brooklyn wiped his mouth which was bleeding slightly from a small cut with the edge of his shirt. "Hey, I was just talking. When I started making sense the idiot on the stage dove off and attacked me. He wasn't really that good a fighter. It was actually that shorter guy in the suit with the armband that did this."

"The guy Broadway threw on the stage," Lex asked.

I said "Yeah, he seemed pretty tough."

"George?" Richard stood up abruptly. "Brown hair, blue eyes, looks a little like me?"

"Yeah, that's the one," said Brooklyn. Brooklyn eyed him shrewdly and even I looked at him suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Angela, I'm sorry but I have to go." He looked at her hopefully. "Call me."

She smiled her Mona Lisa smile, saying "Of course, Richard. Go take care of your brother." Richard grinned and headed for the door.

The Trio and I looked from the departing neo-Quarryman to Angela and back again.

"What was that," Broadway asked very quietly and in deceptive calmness.

"I made a friend today," Angela said, simply. She said this as she slipped the flyer into her pocket. "Do you have a problem with that?" There was a subtle edge to her voice reminiscent of Demona.

Brooklyn, Lexington, and I all stared at Broadway. Broadway set his jaw and walked a few feet away muttering under his breath.

"Look, why don't we head back to the castle? It'll be sunset in a couple of hours and Brooklyn could probably use some first aid." Lexington said this in an effort to ease the tension.

"Definitely," I said. I was looking at Brooklyns injuries and saw that he really needed some first aid.

Angela stood up, saying "Yes I'm ready to go back. Maybe Owen has made some headway with Alexander."

"Okay, sounds like a plane," Brooklyn agreed. "But I need to get my motorcycle I can't just leave it where it is. Okay, with you Broadway?"

"Yeah, fine whatever," said Broadway. Broadway shoved his hands in his pockets and headed for the door.

"Richard! Where in the blue blazes were you," George demanded. He said this as his younger brother came trotting up. "Your post was here with me!"

"I'm sorry, George. I heard you were in a fight. Are you all right," Richard asked, anxiously.

George took in a deep breath and let it out, saying "I'm fine. It's just bumps and bruises mostly and this thing on my head won't stop bleeding. An Asian girl came out of the crowd and hit me on the head with something, although I don't know what it was."

Richard said "Doesn't seem too bad." Richard took a first aid kit from another blue suited Quarryman and looked at the ugly scrape on his brother's temple. He pressed gauze square against it. He said "Here hold this."

His brother closed his eyes and made a face. "You didn't answer me," George said, bluntly. "Where were you?"

"You know that girl I told you about?" Richard put hydrogen peroxide on a cotton pad and began to clean the wound. "Well she came over here just before the riot and I thought I'd try to smooth things over."

His brother closed his eyes and made another face. "Bro, this was not the time to be thinking with your glands," he said, annoyed.

"Oh, I don't know," Richard said, cheerfully. "I think she forgave me and she took my phone number." He replaced the bloody gauze pad with a clean one and began taping it on. "She was with four friends. They were a big blonde guy with a thick neck, a short skinny geek, a young Asian girl, and a biker in black leather with long white hair." He grinned. "Sound familiar, bro?"

George was grinning back at him with a boyish gleam in his eye. "You lucky dog," he said, admiringly. "So who is this girl?" "Angela Destine. She's in town visiting her mother. William Rockford and Le Thomas are two of her friends. I never heard the biker or the Asian called name."

"No matter," George replied. George jotted the names down on his clipboard. "We'll run a trace on these names and when this girl calls you up be extra charming and tease more information out of her." He smiled grimly. "There's plenty of room on our black list for more than just gargoyles."

"Not Angela," Richard said, firmly. "She's completely innocent of the whole thing. Promise me that, George."

"No one will touch a hair on her head, I promise," said George. He looked at the cynical look on his younger brother's face and shook his head. "All right put it there. Pinky promise." George held out a crooked little finger.

Richard linked fingers with his older brother. "Thanks, bro. It's deal information for Angela."

"Deal." George laughed. "When are you going to outgrow this pinky promise thing of yours?"

Closing the first aid kit Richard laughed. "Probably not until I'm old and gray, bro," he said.

This was probably going to be true in his case. These two were most definitely brothers for life. Nothing was going to tear them apart from each other for as long as they lived. These brothers were going to stick together.

"Broadway," Angela said softly as she came up beside him as we all walked up the street. "You've hardly said anything in three blocks. What's wrong?"

"You know perfectly well what's wrong the way you were carrying with that guy Richard back there," he growled, not even looking at her. "Sometimes you are so much like Demona it makes my teeth hurt!"

She blinked, saying "That's only natural, she is my mother after all."

They walked in silence for a while after that.

Out of curiosity I turned to Brooklyn and Lexington. I kept hearing the name Demona out of all of them but I didn't even know who that was. I just had to ask them about it.

"Who's this Demona," I asked the two of them. As soon as I asked the question there was a slight change in Brooklyn. His body tensed and his mouth went into a hard line. I was starting to think that none of them were going to answer me when Lexington spoke up first.

Lex said "Demona was once a member of our clan, but she isn't anymore." "Why isn't she still in the clan," I asked Lexington. When I asked this Lexington shot a worried glance at Brooklyn and then turned back to me.

Brooklyn managed to speak before Lexington did, unfortunately on his part.

Brooklyn said "She betrayed our clan and is no longer welcome in it."

As Brooklyn said this I noticed he said it with pure scorn in his voice. By what I had just heard what this Demona did must have been terrible if she had been kicked out of the clan. Also, what had happened must have concerned Brooklyn in some way because of all the scorn I had heard coming out of his voice just now. I was about to ask some more about it when Brooklyn gave me a really hard look and I shut my mouth. I then told myself that I'd ask more about this at another time especially when all of the others were in a much better mood than they were in before.

We all walked in silence for a few more yards before Broadway blurted out "Why were you acting that way around him?" It seems Broadway was going back to the subject about this Richard person.

"Richard," said Angela. "I was only being friendly. He's a very nice young man. He's polite, well mannered, and he was very kind to me. You'll have friends outside the clan, why not me too?"

"He's different," Broadway said stressing out the word. "He looks at you the way I do."

Angela bit her lip to keep from smiling at him. "And how exactly is that," she asked Broadway.

"Like he's in love with you," Broadway said, seriously. "I know I am."

"Oh, Broadway," said Angela. Angela impulsively wrapped her arms around his biceps and rubbed her non-existent eyebrow ridge against his shoulder. "Don't you know I love only you? Richard will always be just a friend nothing more. You have Matt Bluestone, Father has Elisa, Lex has all his internet buddies, and Brooklyn has Sata. I just want a friend of my own that's all."

Broadway looked down at her with the anger and jealousy fading from his brown eyes.

I chose that moment to speak up again. I directed my words at Broadway. "Why don't you let Angela and that Richard fellow be friends Broadway? Even if he is a Quarrymen he seems nice enough," I told him.

Broadway looked my way and started to speak but then something happened to stop him in his tracks.

Suddenly a frantic woman's voice came from somewhere up the street. "Help! Please somebody help me! A frantic woman's voice came from somewhere up the street.

Lexington pinpointed the sound and pointed. "The ally," he said.

Multiple shadows could be seen trailing across the bricks.

Brooklyn slapped a handful of change into Angela's hand and turned to me. Brooklyn then spoke to the both of us. "Call the cops," he said, brusquely. After saying this, the entire Trio charged up the street to where all of the trouble was.

Angela scowled at them, but she did as she was told along with me. When we got to the phone she was the one who dialed the phone numbers but I was the one who phoned in the incident to the police operator.

As soon as Angela got them police operator on the phone she handed it to me and I took it from her. "Ask for an officer called Elisa Maza and report this to her. Ask for her phone service," she told me.

I nodded to her and that's what I immediately went to do.

In the mean time Angela had slipped off her shoes and ran to join the others. She flung her things into the shadow of a dumpster as she cornered into the ally. When she got there things were much worse than she thought.

A woman was slumped against the wall with her body twisted in an unnatural position. There was blood oozing from a head wound.

There were five gang members with a variety of weapons from knives to chains who were fighting the Trio.

Lexington was thrown into a cluster of trash cans with a loud clatter. The guys had clearly forgotten with human form came a reduced human strength but even so Broadway and Brooklyn were managing to hold their own.

Angela swelled with pride as her beloved grabbed two thugs by their collars and bashed their big heads together. Snarling, Brooklyn let a chain wrap around his wrist before jerking his opponent off of his feet.

Angela dodged around the fighting and went to aid the woman. There was so much blood dripping onto the filthy ground and the angle of her neck. It most certainly didn't look good. She started to bend down when she was jerked up by a big handful of her hair. Another hand with dirty broken fingernails began to crudely grope the front of her dress.

"Look at what I got here," said a course voice. It was accompanied with foul breath. "This pretty's fresh and sweet unlike that old bag down there." His lips and bristly face brushed Angela's neck.

Demonas daughter struck out, sharp elbow strike to her smelly assailants stomach. She tried to break his hold by grabbing his wrist and throwing him. The problem was is that she found she just didn't have the upper body strength of her gargoyle form. He flung her against the wall and she saw stars even as she felt his hand on her. A sharp blow came across her face and as the blood began to flow from her nose, Angela blacked out.

"Angela," Lex shouted. Lex struggled out of the garbage. "Guys, she's in trouble!"

Broadway glanced over his shoulder and his human eyes nearly burnt with rage. While he and Brooklyn had been occupied one of the goons had grabbed his beloved and Broadway didn't like the look of what he was doing one bit.

He bellowed "Leave her alone!" He turned his back on the fight.

Bad move.

A length of metal pipe came down on the side of Broadways head and he staggered, dropping to one knee.

"Oh no you don't," Brooklyn muttered, grimly. He whipped the chain out, slapping the pipe out of the guy's hand. He'd picked up a few thing watching Xanatos and Owens training sessions. Brooklyn whip kicked one of the hoods several times. Those heavy boots of his doing some serious damage. His chain wrapped fist made short work of the one that hit Broadway. His rookery brother was still stunned but struggling to reach Angela. Sirens and flashing lights were coming closer to their location. He grabbed the jerk that had Angela and spun him around. "That ain't no way to treat a lady…"

Brooklyn was cut off before he could finish his sentence. At fist connecting with his jaw ended Brooklyns snappy patter and the ally rose up to him in the face. He caught a glimpse of running feet leaping over him, shoving Lex back into the trash, and running down the alley. The last thing he heard before he blacked out was a scream in a familiar voice. "No!"

"—Honey can you hear me," a deep friendly voice was saying. "It's going to be all right the ambulance is on the way. You're going to be all right."

Angela slowly forced her eyes open to the face of a stranger. Uncontrollably, she flinches and her eyes widened in fear.

"Hey now, sh…" The black police officer gave her a friendly smile. "It's okay now, miss. It's all over now."

"What…" Angela looked around her. She was lying on the ground with her beautiful dress now stained and torn.

Lexington was against the wall with his head in one of his hands. She spotted me standing by Brooklyn who had an ugly bruise and a swollen lower lip. Another police officer was kneeling by Broadway, holding something against his head. Broadway was looking anxiously her way and smiled when he saw her looking his way.

"Morgan!" Elisa's voice echoed in the narrow alley. Her footsteps grew closer. "Angela! Guys! What a happened?"

"You know these kids, Detective?" Officer Morgan stood up and faced her. "Apparently they came up on a woman being attacked by a gang and decided to take the law into their own hands." He looked at the Trio and Angela sternly. "You know kids that was pretty stupid. You could have been hurt a lot worse than you were."

"What about the woman," Angela asked, rising up on her elbows. "Is she all right?"

The uniformed officer kneeled back down next to her. "Honey, they molested her and then they broke her neck when they threw her against the wall. She was probably dead before you kids came in here."

The color drained out of Angela's face. She could see the Trio and I having similar reactions over Morgan's shoulder.

"Oh no. We should have been here sooner," she murmured sadly. "That poor woman." "You almost became a second victim," Morgan said, bluntly. "I got a daughter nearly your age and this is my worst nightmare. You call the police and let us handle these things from now on, you hear."

Angela looked up at Elisa, tears rising in her eyes. "Elisa, I want to go home," she said.

"Are you sure," Officer Morgan asked. "You really should have a doctor look at you."

Brooklyn and I helped Broadway to his feet. "No we need to get back to the castle," Brooklyn said.

Morgan looked at the white haired biker curiously. "Sounds to me like somebody definitely got hit on the head a little too hard," he said to Elisa. "If you can vouch for them I guess we can get their statements later but I still think a doctor should check them out."

Elisa reached down and gave Angela a hand up. "I'll take care of it Morgan. They're just not used to life on the streets."

Back at the castle Alex opened his mouth for another bite of applesauce. He had slept most of the day which was not an uncommon side effect of the spontaneous feat of magic he performed the night before. Owen had been gently steering his pupils developing mind toward the problem at hand. He began to talk idly to the young child as he often did while he was feeding him.

Owen asked "Alex is Brooklyn a gargoyle or a human?"

The red headed tot grinned messily and pointed skyward. "Gargle!"

"What is Lexington?"

"Wex gargle!"

"Is Elisa a human or a gargoyle?"

Alex stopped in mid-chew to ponder this. "Wisa na gargle."

"That's right," Owen said, gently. "Sometimes it's best to be what you really are." He set the dinner things aside and began to clean Alex's face. "Tonight, Uncle Puck is going to help you fix a little problem. It's going to be a bit tricky but a lot of fun."

Packed into Elisa's Ford Fairline the ride over to the Eyrie Building passed in an uncomfortable silence. Lex sat by the open window, reeking of garbage. Angela leaned into Broadways comforting embrace. Brooklyn sat in the front staring into space sullenly and sighing. I just sat in the back with the others keeping quiet. I was afraid to say anything.

Elisa kept checking on us worriedly. Once we got to the Eyrie Building we all got out of the car. The Trio, Angela, and Elisa were all going inside. They even invited me in, but I turned their invitation down.

I said "I don't think so."

Brooklyn still persisted. "But you can meet the rest of the clan," he said.

I shook my head no. "Maybe another time, but right now I really have to get home," I said.

All of them looked into my eyes and saw that I wasn't going to change my mind.

"All right, but be safe walking home," said Brooklyn.

"Don't worry, I will," I said. I handed Brooklyn his purchases from the mall while I kept mine in hand.

Brooklyn and I shared a small kiss and then I started to walk away. Brooklyn stayed where he was while the others headed up to the building doors. He wanted to watch me leave.

I hadn't even taken a step when I turned back to Brooklyn. I pointed to the thing connected to the back of Elisa's car. "Make sure you put that in a safe place. We don't want anyone to take that," I told him.

Brooklyn nodded to me. He said "Don't worry I will."

We were both talking about his motorcycle. We managed to retrieve it on the way over here so Brooklyn could still be able to keep it. The two of us looked into each other's eyes and when we did I saw that there was much fear in his eyes. I gave him a gentle smile and gave him a big hug. He did the same to me.

I whispered "Everything will be fine."

"I'm not so sure about that," he told me. After that I kept walking and didn't look back.

Brooklyn did the same thing, but with his clan mates.

Finally in the elevator Elisa said "Come on you guys. I can tell you're all really upset by this. Holding back your feelings is not gonna help."

Angela clung to Broadways arm. "I've never been that afraid before," she said, softly. "When I woke up I was even afraid of that policeman officer Morgan. He had such a kind voice like fathers. I couldn't help myself, I was so frightened."

"I just wasn't fast enough," Lex said, grimly. "My size never made such a difference before and besides I was always faster and stronger."

"Yeah," Broadway agreed. "And it seemed weird not being able to use our wings and tails. Our whole fighting style was off."

The elevator doors opened into the Great Hall. "Face it guys," Brooklyn said. "Being human is no joyride. It was fun and I liked being just another face in the crowd but it just wasn't us."

The others exchanged a look.

Lex sighed. "You're right. I had a great time but deep down…" He lifted his arms and let them fall loosely at his sides.

Angela walked over to where Goliath, Hudson, Othello, Desdemona, and Bronx were still on display. She touched her father's face. "I understand now why they fear us so. It's not easy being human, so fragile, bound to the ground and never being able to touch the sky." She smiled sadly. "I loved the time I spent with mother today but it wasn't worth giving up all that makes me a gargoyle."

Owen and Alex walked into the room just as the sun began to dip toward the horizon. "What do you see, Alex," the pale man asked softly. "Four people unhappy because the forms that they wear are not true to their nature."

His lip pouching out Alex studied the transformed gargoyle carefully. He turned his troubled face to Owen. "Unca Puck," he asked in a timid voice.

The tall blonde man in the navy suit shimmered as he shrank inside a nimbus of light. He emerged as a sprightlier figure with long white hair and pointed ears. Puck chucked Alex under the chin. "Okie-dokie kiddo let's see if we can fix this mess, hm?"

The fae trickster carried the little boy closer to the group in the center of the room. Pucks eyes began to glow. "Follow my lead and say these words in your head Alex."

Alex's attention was riveted on the Trio and Angela and his babyish face took on certain seriousness. Puck chanted: "Broadway and Angela, Brooklyn and Lex, It is time to remove this unbidden hex; Leave now the day and embrace the night, Return to your true and given birthright!"

As the enchantment was cast the world was turning with the distant horizon afire with the dying rays of the sun. Beams of electric blue light shot forth from Alex's eyes enveloping the younger gargoyles even as their elders began cracking their stone skins. Human skin tones deepening into gargoyle hues, wings and tails returned, limbs reshaped.

Goliath shook the last of the stone chips from his wings and stepped forward. "Angela!"

"Father?" Angela looked wonderingly at her lavender four fingered hands. She flexed her wings and flicked her tail before throwing herself into her father's embrace.

Brooklyn stared down the length of his beak while absently rubbing the back of his neck. He then left the room.

Lex was hiding behind Broadway. Elisa looked at him curiously. "What's wrong Lex," she asked.

The green web winged gargoyle actually blushed. "Uh, my clothes kind of went to pieces," he said, sheepishly. "My wings came in as sort of a full body experience."

Broadway chuckled as he shucked his shredded suit jacket. "Here Lex. It's got a couple of big holes in it but it should be enough to cover what little you got."

Lex narrowed his eyes. "Not funny. Not funny at all," he said huffily.

Hudson found Brooklyn perched out on the battlements the shreds of his human clothing blowing in the breeze. The young gargoyles homely visage looked troubled.

"What's thin then, lad," Hudson asked. "I thought you'd be glad having a day out."

Brooklyn shook his head. "It's not that, Hudson. A woman died today because we were only human." He sighed. "If we had been gargoyle like we should have been. We would have been in and out of that alley and she'd still be alive tonight."

"You can't protect everybody, lad." Hudson clapped a gnarled hand on his shoulder. "Even Elisa loses sometimes, but she keeps on doing her job."

A determined glint came into Brooklyns eyes. "No matter what Hudson I'm never going to let that happen again. I don't like losing people, not one it."

Hudson simply nodded and they stood there not speaking. The future leader and the past each lost in their own thoughts as they looked out over the nocturnal Manhattan skyline.

Angela came out of the bathroom in the guest room toweling her hair dry. It had taken two good shampooing to get the stench of the alley washed out. She admired herself in the mirror, back in her regular gargoyle form wearing her simple white tunic. She smiled at herself. It felt so…right somehow. There was a telephone on the dressing table and Angela sat down really, tail curling around the base of the stool. She had retrieved two pieces of paper from her ruined jacket. One of them was one of her mother's business cards with her unlisted home number jotted on the back and the flyer. She bit her lip, picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello, Richard," Angela asked. A few seconds later she smiled. "Oh, I'm fine. You could say I'm feeling like my old self again…"


	12. Chapter 12

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 12

"So what did you think of him," I asked my friends.

We were sitting down to lunch at the school. It was the next day and I was back at school with both Jenna and her boyfriend Darrel. As soon as I saw the looks on their faces, especially Jenna, I knew what they were going to talk about with me. So before they attacked me with questions, I attacked them with one of my own.

Jenna was about to go at me with her entire observation of Brooklyn at Manhattan Mall when Darrel beat her to the punch. He said "I'm not so sure about him."

Jenna and I both made a face at him.

He returned our looks with one of his own. "What," he asked us.

Jenna spoke before I could. "Are you out of your mind," she said to him.

I asked "What's wrong with him?" Darrel looked at me with a raised eyebrow. "He's a biker, Sata."

"And what's wrong with that," I said.

Darrel now turned to me with a look of disbelief on his face. "You've got to be kidding me," he said. "Sata, you live in an entire neighborhood filled with bikers and gangs."

"And you think that Jeff is one of them," I asked Darrel.

I was very careful to use the human name Brooklyn had made for himself. His gargoyle name would be more irregular if any other human was going to hear it. So I kept on using the name Jeff Brooks.

Darrel now hesitated before he spoke. He said "He does have the look of someone who belongs in one of those things."

I didn't expect to hear this from Darrel. He wasn't usually the one who says these kinds of things.

"I'm surprised to hear this from you Darrel," I said to him. "No one should judge a book by its cover."

I should know since I fell in love with a gargoyle, I thought to myself. I didn't say that out loud. That's because these two would never believe and Jenna especially would've had a huge laughing fit over it.

Darrel shook his head and let out a big sigh.

Because Darrel had stopped talking for the moment Jenna was now finally able to get her own words in. Jenna said "Don't listen to him, Sata. I think he's the perfect person for you. He seems so nice and interesting and he's handsome to boot." Jenna said this with a bounce in her seat and a really, really big grin on her face.

Darrel gave her a look and this time Jenna managed to catch it. She kept twirling a bit of her hair around one of her fingers and gave her big look of innocence.

Darrel didn't buy it not one bit. He was still looking at her when he spoke to me again.

He said "I'm just saying that Sata should be more careful with this Jeff Brooks. This guy disappears for months causing you to go into a depression and then he suddenly shows up again. Sounds really suspicious to me. I mean, how do we know that he won't just disappear on you again."

"Sounds like a mystery to me," Jenna said. She had her chin in one of her hands.

I said "It's not really a mystery and sure I was a little angry with him at first but I wasn't angry for long. He told me why he was away for so long and I forgave him."

This caught the interest of these two. I now had their full attention.

"What did he tell you," Jenna asked.

Darrel said "It had better be good."

"Come on, so what did he tell you," persisted Jenna.

I shrugged, saying "He said that he had a big family emergency and he had to leave the city for a while. I asked him why he hadn't called me and he had an explanation for that too. He said that since it was so sudden that he didn't think to call me. He was also so depressed about his relative that he didn't thank to write me a letter." It was only a little lie and I had to give these two something I thought they would believe.

Fortunately for me they did.

Jenna's eyes widened as she listened to my words. She said "Wow it must've been important."

Darrel was leaning back in his chair drinking his soda and even though he believed what I said Darrel still had a really big look of disapproval on his face. Only now I noticed that most of it was now gone. Also, fortunately he did change his mind about Brooklyn. I knew this because I heard him mutter "Seems nice enough." That was so typical of Darrel. He never really liked to show people he was wrong even though he knew that person was right in the first place.

We talked about some more things while eating our lunch.

At a point when we noticed that the cafeteria was looking empty the three of us left the cafeteria and headed to our next classes for today. Darrel didn't go to the same classes as the two of us so it was just Jenna and I for the rest of the school day.

Our last class of the day was art and in this class I was working harder than ever. I wanted to take up my teachers offer to join art club, but I knew that I couldn't because of my father. So I was now working extra hard in my art class. I had finished the first painting I had made of Brooklyn and now I had doing another one of Brooklyn. This was just in a pose I thought Brooklyn would look good in.

Not long before class ended my teacher came up from behind me as I was working on the canvas. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around. When I did the teacher held out a flyer to me and I took it. "I think you'll find this to be most interesting." The teacher then walked away.

I looked at the flyer in my hand and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw what it said. Jenna was in another part of the room but she saw everything that just happened and she was now steaming with a brand new piece of curiosity.

When the bell rang and it was time to leave Jenna was still watching me. I was a bit slower than the others because I was still looking at the flyer in my hand. Jenna ambushed me outside the classroom door and took the flyer from my hand.

"Jenna, give it back," I said.

She said "Let me see it first and I will." She then looked at the flyer and she reacted the same way I did. "An art contest?"

"Hai," I said.

Jenna looked away from the flyer and back at me. "Sata, this is perfect for you," she said.

"I know," I said.J

enna waved the flyer right in front of my face and I grabbed it straight out of her hands. "Did you see what the prize is," she asked me.

I said "Hai, I did." I knew very well what the prize was. It was nearly two hundred dollars in cash.

I put the flyer into my bag as the two of us walked down the hallway. Jenna was right this contest would be perfect for me to enter. I really, really needed the money. If I won the art contest I would have enough money to pay the bills for a little while. It would even cover some of the other expenses with that would be left over. If I actually managed to win the contest I would just have to hide the money from my father and everything would be all right.

Jenna and I had now reached the outside of the school.

Darrel was already there waiting for us at the bottom of the school.

Jenna turned to me before she went down to him. "Darrel and I are going to the movies. You want to come with," she asked me.

I was already shaking tm head, no, before she could even finish. "Sorry Jenna, I'd love to, but I can't. I have to do the grocery shopping and I have homework to do," I said.

Jenna said "Suit yourself."

Turning away from me, Jenna ran down the front steps into the school and into Darrel's arms. I smiled as I watched these two embrace and kiss each other. Darrel and Jenna both gave me a wave and then they went off to the movies before they went back to their homes.

As for me instead of doing what all the other kids did after school I had to do the grocery shopping for my father and myself. Every time I had to do the food shopping I always went to the cheapest one I could find. Since I never really had much money with me anyway after I paid the bills for the house.

As I was picking food off the shelves and putting them into a shopping basket I overheard two women speaking about the Quarrymen rally from yesterday. Since I was actually there yesterday I was curious to hear what they actually had to say about it. These two women weren't that far away from me so I was able to hear them quite clearly without having to move any closer.

This is what they were saying. "So what did you think of the rally the Quarrymen had yesterday," the taller of the two said.

The smaller of the two said "I thought it was brilliant the Quarrymen are absolutely right. The police have absolutely done nothing to handle the gargoyle problem in this city. I'm afraid for my kids."

"Well I'm not," said the taller one.

"What's wrong with you," demanded the smaller one. "Those things are monsters you should know that."

"I used to think that way until I heard that kid speak out yesterday," said the taller one.

The shorter one of the two snorted hearing her companion say this. The shorter one said "He's young, he doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Well I say he does. I could tell just by listening to his voice that he was very sure of what he was saying and I believe him. By listening to that kid I actually see things a little more clearly and I'm starting to understand the gargoyles situation a bit more," the taller one said.

The shorter one was trying to say something else, but her companion stopped her. She said "Nothing you're going to say will change my mind."

The shorter one left in a sniff with her taller companion following behind her.

I just stood where I was for a few more seconds thinking about what had just occurred. It seems that the commotion Brooklyn made at the Quarrymen rally had made an impact on certain people. Unfortunately it didn't go to all, but at least it was a start. A smile was on my face as I went over to the cash counter in order to pay for the groceries I was carrying. Once I paid for them I left the store, groceries in hand. I then headed home which actually wasn't that far away from the food store. That is if you hadn't lived in New York all your life.

Night had fallen before I returned home. When I did reach home I stopped at the front door. I turned around and scanned the night sky checking for any signs of a gargoyle. No sign of any yet, but I was sure that there would be soon. So I went inside and immediately started to cook for my father.

My father came home from wherever he was at exactly the same time I had dinner ready for him. Thankfully my father didn't yell or hit me this time.

So I took some food of my own upstairs with me to my room and started to do my homework waiting for a certain gargoyle to arrive at my window. Oh he was going to come for me all right, but in a completely different way that I thought.

During the day when the gargoyles were in their stone sleep Brooklyn's motorcycle was put in the garage where all of the Xanatos vehicles were are.

Brooklyn was down there right now with his two rookery brothers. Lexington and Broadway were down there right now helping their brother get ready for tonight's ride. As soon as they found the red Harley motorcycle Lex went to fill it up with some fuel and make some adjustments to it. While Lexington was doing this Broadway was helping Brooklyn get into the part.

At one point Brooklyn was starting to get impatient so he and Broadway went on over to Lex. Broadway asked "Is it done yet?"

"Come on, I can't keep Sata waiting," Brooklyn said.

Lexington lifted up the metal face mask he was wearing while using the blow torch. He looked up at his brothers with an annoyed look on his face.

"You rode a horse once. Could you build one from spare parts," Lex shot back at Brooklyn. Lex brought the mask back over his face and went back to work on the motorcycle.

Brooklyn lifted his arms up in indignation and then back down again. He and Broadway moved away from their rookery brother. These two left Lexington to his work and moved on over to the table where Brooklyn's helmet was.

When they got to it Brooklyn took the helmet in his hands and lifted it up from the table. He held it in one of his hands as he poked two holes into the top of the helmet with the other. Brooklyn brought the helmet up over his head and set it down. A perfect fit, the horns slipped right through the holes he made for them.

Watching this Broadway came up with the perfect joke and he decided to use it on his brother. "Why bother with a helmet? Your heads big enough," he said, smirking.

Brooklyn chuckled at what his rookery brother said and lifted up both of his arms. Then instead of capping his wings around his shoulders like he usually did he wrapped them around his chest. He didn't want the wings to give him away on the streets.

Broadway took out a black leather jacket, it was brand new. Xanatos had giving it to Brooklyn not long after he woke up from stone sleep. Broadway held up the jacket and Brooklyn slipped right into it. Just like the helmet it was a perfect fit, even with the wings tucked around his body.

Brooklyn turned to Broadway with his arms spread wide. He said "Hey, it's all part of the look."

Broadway brought his hand up to his chin and nodded his head in agreement. By looking at him Broadway could see that his rookery brother was right. With the wings tucked in under the leather jacket, ends of his wings coming out over the front of his legs making him look like he was wearing black leather pants, and the helmet. Brooklyn did look like an actual biker.

Broadway and Brooklyn went back over to where Lexington and the motorcycle were.

Lexington looked up and saw them coming his way. Lexington took off the metal face mask he was wearing and pointed his arm toward the newly improved motorcycle. "There it's ready," Lex said.

Brooklyn went over to the motorcycle and took his seat right in the middle of it. "All right," he said.

Brooklyn opened up a small compartment and inside was a pair of sunglasses. Brooklyn took the sunglasses out of the small compartment and put them up over his eyes. Brooklyn put his hands on the bikes handle bars and then started the engine. He pushed a lever on the side of the bike with his foot to start the bike and revved up the engine by the handle bars. Smoke came out of the back as the motorcycle went into gear and the power coming out of it was quite obvious.

Without warning Brooklyn burst out of the garage on the motorcycle in a really big cloud of smoke. Broadway and Lexington watched their rookery brother fly out of the garage of the Eyrie Building and into the nearby deserted streets. Brooklyn turned a corner and went out of the sight of his brothers as they were cheering him on.

"Go for it," Lex said.

Broadway said "Looking good."

"Oh boy, what a ride," said Lex.

"Yeah," said Broadway.

"Yeah, he's flying," said Lex.

Brooklyn was flying down the streets on his motorcycle as fast as he could possibly go. His long tail and silver hair were flowing in the wind. "Oh, this is great. I love this bike," he shouted.

Fortunately, there weren't many cars out at this time of night so he didn't meet much interference as he was going down the streets. As he was going down the streets he didn't notice the figure following him through the air.

Brooklyn was heading down to my neighborhood to pick me up and. Since there weren't really any cars out at this time of night he went as fast as his bike could go. He was just ignoring the speed limits.

Big mistake.

Going down one of the streets he passed by a doughnut shop that was still open and. Outside of it was a patrol car with two policemen inside of it. They were on their brake eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. Brooklyn was going down the street so fast on his bike that he didn't even see them there. Oh, but they could see him just fine.

Brooklyn surprised them so much when he speed past them that they dropped and spilled their coffee everywhere. The two policemen put down their doughnuts and buckled their seatbelts. With angry looks on their faces the two officers speed off in pursuit of the one breaking the speed limit.

Up ahead Brooklyn could suddenly hear sirens coming from somewhere behind him. Curious, Brooklyn glanced at his rearview mirror on one of his handle bars to see what was behind him. What he saw was not a welcoming sight. In the glass Brooklyn could see a police patrol car following him and getting closer with every second.

"Oh, not go. Not good," Brooklyn said, shaking his head.

Then instead of slowing down and confronting the police like a human usually would have done, he speed up. The police just matched his speed. Thinking of shaking off the police Brooklyn turned down an alley thinking the police wouldn't follow him. Well Brooklyn was completely wrong about that, the police just followed him straight down the alley.

Inside the police patrol car officer Morgan, who was at the wheel, turned to the other officer next to him. Officer Morgan said "Hit the light."

The younger policeman lowered his window and stuck his arm out of it. He turned on a light that the police used to keep their targets in sight. The younger officer turned it on and directed it toward Brooklyn. The beam was directly on him but fortunately the police didn't recognize him as a gargoyle, well not just yet.

Farther up the alley Brooklyn spotted something up ahead. There was a high fence that was blocking his path, but he knew he and his motorcycle could get over it. He knew this because there was a large ramp right in front of the fence. So while the patrol car behind him started to slow down he didn't. Brooklyn faced the coming obstacle head on. Before Brooklyn hit the ramp he pulled the motorcycle up slightly so that the bike was only running on the back wheel. Then when Brooklyn hit the ramp he went straight up into the air. Brooklyn knew that he needed his wings to make the jump so he brought them out through the back of his jacket. In order to do this Brooklyn had to use the talons on his wings to make two holes in his jacket. This had to be done in order for his wings to slip through. When this happened his wings spread wide and he glided right over that fence on his motorcycle.

The officers in the patrol watched the entire scene happen from where they were. They stopped their car before they could hit the fence and watched it happen.

Officer Morgan turned to the younger policeman beside him. "You want to call that in," Officer Morgan asked him.

The younger policeman asked "Call what in?"

Officer Morgan didn't have anything to say to that. He looked down and spotted the box of doughnuts on the bottom of the car, in between his legs. Seeing these doughnuts Morgan came to a certain conclusion.

Officer Morgan took the doughnuts and threw them out of his car window. "That's it I'm off sugar," he said.

On the other side of the fence Brooklyn landed and skidded to a stop on his motorcycle. As soon as this happened Brooklyn put a foot down to keep himself in place. Brooklyn started at the fence and he realized that the policemen weren't going to follow him past the fence. Brooklyn brought his hand up to his face and lifted the front of his sunglasses away from his eyes.

After a moment Brooklyn breathed in a sigh of relief "Phew" and put the sunglasses back over his eyes. He then took a look at his wings. Brooklyn flexed them out a little bit and he knew that he wasn't going to get them back into his jacket. He then made a choice.

Brooklyn held up his arms high over his head. He then took his wings and wrapped them around his chest like he did before. He'd just have to make his wings look part of the jacket. A moment later Brooklyn revved back up the engine of the motorcycle and was back on his way. Brooklyn knew that it was getting later and the factor he got to my house the longer he would be able to have with me.

Inside my room I was finishing up an essay for my history class. Thankfully this was my last homework assignment for the night. I had already finished up my dinner and brought it downstairs to the kitchen. After I had washed the dishes and put them away I went back upstairs to finish my homework.

My father was already asleep in his room. All of the beer bottles he had drank while he was eating must've really put him to sleep. In my room I could actually hear him snoring from where I was which was actually a really good sign for me. This meant that he was in a really deep sleep and was out for the night.

After I finished my history essay I took all of the assignments I managed to finish and put them back into my school bag. When I did my hand brushed against something as I was pulling it back out. I took a closer look and realized it was the flyer of that art contest my teacher gave me today. I pulled the flyer out, unfolded it and took another look at it. I reread the rules of the contest to myself again. I knew I was going to enter it but I just had to figure out which of my two paintings to use. Eventually I chose to use both of my gargoyle paintings. I only had to finish the second one before the deadline of the contest.

I was just reading the flyer a second time when I heard a noise. A few seconds after it happened I heard it again. When I did I realized it was coming from my window.

"What is that," I asked myself.

I got up from where I was sitting and put down the art contest flyer. I went straight over to my window. As soon as I got to my window I opened it up and leaned out of it to see what was making all of the noise. I turned my head in all directions trying to find the source. I mostly directed my gaze toward the front of the house to see if it was down there and as it turns out my instincts were correct. Only it wasn't a gang of trouble makers like I thought it was.

No, it was even better.

As I looked to the front of the house something started to come into view. It seems that whoever was down there saw me and had started to move backwards on his motorcycle in order to get a better view of me.

As he went to get a better view of me I managed to get a much better view of him. When I did I saw that whoever it was wore a black leather jacket and was riding a red Harley motorcycle. Immediately when I saw that motorcycle I knew who it was. Also, the beak on the guys face seemed to give him away for me, it was Brooklyn.

Seeing him down there in plain view caused my eyes to widen and gasp in surprise.

Brooklyn saw my reaction from where he was on the ground and smiled up at me. Brooklyn waved up at me and I waved down at him. Brooklyn crooked a finger at me and pointed to the seat behind him on the motorcycle.

I got the meaning of what he was trying to say to me. I nodded my head at him showing Brooklyn that I understood. I held out one of my arms and leaving one of my fingers out.

"One second," I whispered down to him.

He nodded his head, showing that he heard me.

I then closed my window and headed out of my room. I grabbed my purse on my way out of my room and I closed the door behind me as I did so.

As I went down the hallway on the second floor I had to put my father's room on the way to the stairs. In order to get where I wanted to go I tiptoed past my father's room so that I wouldn't wake him up from his slumber.

As soon as I got put his door I ran down the stairs as fast as I could and went straight for the front door. I opened it and found Brooklyn waiting patiently for me on the other side.

I smiled and ran to where Brooklyn was on his motorcycle. Brooklyn lifted up his sunglasses to get a better look at me.

"What are you doing here," I asked him.

He said "Waiting for you. We had such a good time yesterday that I thought we'd have another one together."

Suddenly a thought came into my head and a concerned look appeared on my face. I asked "What about the Quarrymen? What if they see us out here together?" I said this to Brooklyn with a worried tone in my voice.

He quickly went to reassure me. He said "If it comes to that I will handle it but right now let's just enjoy what they night has to offer."

Brooklyn held out his hand to me with a smile on his beak. The look of concern left my face and I took his hand. He then helped me up onto the back of his motorcycle. Once I was on I wrapped my arms around his waist.

Brooklyn started back up the motorcycles engine. He then looked back at me. "Hold on tight," he said.

Brooklyn didn't have to tell me twice, I already knew this. Brooklyn revved up the engine and the two of us were off. Also, the one that had been following Brooklyn before kept up on pursuit. Whoever it was this person wasn't going to lose the trail.

As the two of us were flying down the streets on the motorcycle I was holding on tight to Brooklyn. As an extra safety precaution Brooklyn had part of his tail wrapped around me so that I wouldn't be able to fall off even around the sharpest turns. This time with me on the bike Brooklyn did obey the speed limits.

During this time I was very glad that hardly anyone was out at this time of night. The reason for this was because if anyone saw a gargoyle and human together like this they would call the Quarrymen on us. When that happened a disaster would start and that was the last thing Brooklyn and I needed this night.

When the two of us stopped at an intersection I got curious about something. "Brooklyn where are we going," I asked him.

He said "You'll see. It's a surprise."

At that moment the lights changed at the intersection and we were back on our way. It wasn't much longer until I did find out what the surprise actually was. We were at another intersection when I saw what the surprise was. Turns out the place he was bringing me was Central Park.

"Is the surprise Central Park," I asked him.

Brooklyn nodded his head.

A few minutes after that the two of us drove into Central Park.

As we were driving through the park I kept turning my head looking in all directions. Even though I lived here in New York City I hadn't been to Central Park for a long time. The park looked so beautiful, even at night. At a certain point in Central Park Brooklyn stopped the motorcycle and got off of it.

I looked at our surroundings curious to see why Brooklyn had stopped here. I didn't protest when Brooklyn helped me off the back of his motorcycle. "Why stop here," I asked him.

Brooklyn said "You'll see. The surprise is still further ahead."

Brooklyn then took off both his helmet and sunglasses. When he did he put them down on the back of his motorcycle.

I did the same thing with the helmet that was on my head. Once that was done Brooklyn took my hand in his and we started walking. It took only a few steps before we reached where he wanted the two of us to go.

I gasped out in wonderment when I saw it. Brooklyn and I were at the small lake inside the middle of the park. It was just so beautiful. The moon light was falling into the water and was shining right off of its surface. The trees and the small rock formations around it just made the scene even more beautiful.

"Oh, Brooklyn, it's lovely," I said.

"There's more," he said. Brooklyn pointed somewhere by the lake.

I looked in that direction and saw a swing attached to the large branch of a tree which was really close to the water. I smiled and went running straight over to it. Brooklyn followed me, but at a slower pace than mine.

When I got to the swing I set my purse down in a safe place beside it and sat down on the swing. I sat there and waited for Brooklyn to come over to me.

When he did Brooklyn went behind me and gently started to push me on the swing. I kept moving my legs in rhythm with the swing in order to give myself a little more height each time.

I said "Oh, it feels so good to be doing this again."

"Yeah, it's been a while since we've been alone like this," Brooklyn said with a smile.

As Brooklyn was pushing me I turned my head toward him. "I heard something in a market today," I said.

"What was it about," he asked.

"There were two women talking about the Quarrymen rally from yesterday," I said.

That instantly caught his attention. "What did you hear," he asked me.

I then told him everything I heard come out of the two women. When I did I heard a big sigh come out of Brooklyn from behind me. "Sometimes I think things will never change. Humans will always hate us, not matter what we do to help them," he said.

I turned slightly in the swing so that I could see his face. "Don't say that. Remember one of the two women I was listening to said that she had changed her opinion about gargoyles. Because of what you said at the rally she's now a gargoyle sympathizer not a gargoyle hater," I told him.

Brooklyn shrugged, saying "That's only one person. There are still many in this city that hates us and even more around the world."

"Don't say that. I'm definitely sure that you reached more than one person during that rally and not everyone is like those Quarrymen," I told him.

Brooklyn turned his attention back over to me and when he did I saw that he was smiling at me. Then instead of giving me another push on the swing Brooklyn stopped me where I was. He then looked straight into my eyes.

He said "You're right, Sata. I was foolish to think that way."

"Good cause I wouldn't want you any other way," I told him with a big smile.

Brooklyn brought his face closer to mine and the two of us shared a gentle kiss.

Little did we know that the two of us were being watched. Up in the trees out pursuer in the skies was now watching us from a safe distance. Hiding in the shadows our pursuer was making sure that she wouldn't get detected. She saw the kiss that Brooklyn and I shared together. When we kissed her eyes narrowed when she saw it and anger grew inside of her. It grew even more when she saw the two of us separate and laugh out loud. Our pursuer was now not only angry but extremely furious. Whoever was watching us let out a low growl.

Down below Brooklyn and I were completely oblivious to our little spy. Brooklyn just kept pushing me on the swing and I was just enjoying the fun of it. We were like this for a while longer until we decided to leave the part and go around the city a bit more.

Brooklyn and I got back on the motorcycle and rode out of Central Park. While the two of us were riding through the city we decided to go get some ice cream. When we got to an ice cream parlor we both agreed that I should do the buying. So I went inside to get the ice cream while Brooklyn waited outside in front of the parlor. Also, Brooklyn went to a secluded part of the street where he knew that no one would really notice him there. Fortunately, when I came back out with our ice cream I didn't have a problem seeing them there at all. Once I was back with him Brooklyn went to find us a nice secluded spot where we could eat our ice cream without really being disturbed by anyone.

As we were eating there was a slight chill in the air and combined with the ice cream it made me shiver. Brooklyn saw this so he went to try and keep me warm. Brooklyn took one of his wings and wrapped it around my body. My body stopped shivering as soon as he did this.

I looked up at him, saying "Thank you."

Brooklyn waved my thanks away, saying "No problem."

I then got into the subject of his clan. "Your rookery brothers and sister seem very nice," I said.

Brooklyn smiled at my words, saying "Yes, they are and I know that they definitely like you."

"Really," I asked him.

He said "Yeah, they do and so does Elisa."

"That caught me by surprise. I didn't know you had a police detective as an ally," I said to Brooklyn.

He nodded his head at my words. He said "I understand that. Elisa was the first human we met after we came to this city. She's been a really big help to us."

"It's not hard to figure out," I said to him. "By what I saw yesterday she's quite used to getting you guys out of trouble. Am I correct?"

"Yes, I've lost count of all the times she's helped us. I have a strong feeling that if it weren't for Elisa many of the remaining members of my clan would probably be dead today," he said to me.

I said "You're very lucky."

"Yup," he agreed.

Brooklyn then took the last bite of the ice cream cone and swallowed it right down. Brooklyn whipped off his hands and turned to me. "It's late. I should probably be getting you back home," he said to me.

My mouth was full at the time with a bite of ice cream I had just taken so I only nodded my head in agreement. I quickly went to finish my ice cream as Brooklyn was getting the motorcycle ready to go.

Then just as I got back on the motorcycle behind him an idea came to mind. I voiced my thoughts out to Brooklyn as soon as the idea occurred to me. "Brooklyn."

"Hmm," he said.

"Before you take me home there's something I want to show you," I said.

Brooklyn turned toward me in his seat with a raised eyebrow. "Where is it," he asked me.

I said "It's at my school."

"I don't know where that it," said Brooklyn.

"I'll guide you," I said.

"All right then let's go," he said.

Brooklyn drove us out of the spot where we were on his motorcycle. While Brooklyn was driving I kept giving him directions over the roar of the motorcycles engine. I did this in order for Brooklyn not to lose his way and the two of us would get lost. Thanks to the directions I gave him the two of us managed to get to my school in just a matters of a few minutes.

Once again we parked the motorcycle in a safe place where no one would be able to find it or us. I told Brooklyn that it wasn't wise to use the school's main entrance at this time of night. So the two of us went for one of the side doors where someone was less likely to see us.

When we got there I tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. "Shoot it's locked," I said.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and I turned my body to face Brooklyn. He gently moved me out of the way and then went for the door himself. It didn't take much of an effort for him to open it at all. Brooklyn just had to use a small portion of his gargoyle strength to open the door. Brooklyn was very careful to not completely destroy the door handle. We didn't want anyone to know that anyone was here later on.

With the door finally opened Brooklyn moved out of the way and I went in first. Brooklyn followed me in and quietly closed the door behind the two of us.

Brooklyn took my lead as the two of us entered the school. He stayed right by my side as I tried to find out where we were. I kept turning my head in all directions checking everything.

"What are you trying to show me? Where are you taking me," asked Brooklyn.

I ignored both of his questions. "I know it's here somewhere," I told myself.

We then came to a cross section in the school where four of the hallways intersected. I looked down one of them and I now knew where I was going.

"Ah, this is the one," I said.

I gestured with my warm and Brooklyn followed me down the third hallway. We then stopped at the third room on the right.

"This is it," I told Brooklyn.

Fortunately, the door was unlocked so we were able to go right in without delay.

As was to be expected at night the art room was completely deserted. As soon as we walked in I went straight over to where the whole class including me had placed all of the projects from this year.

Brooklyn stayed where he was at the front of the room just looking around the place. It didn't take long for me to find what I was looking for in there.

"Ah, there they are," I said.

I took all of my paintings off from the shelf they were on and held them out before me. I then turned to Brooklyn. "Get me two easels to put these on," I told him.

Brooklyn did as he was told.

I then put my two paintings on the easels out for me.

There was some cloth covering the front of both of my paintings so Brooklyn had no idea what they looked like from under there. I put my hands on both of the paintings as I looked at Brooklyn.

"This is what I wanted to show you," I said to him. With that I pulled the cloth off of my paintings and when I did the subject of my two paintings was revealed to him.

Brooklyn gasped out loud in surprise when he saw them. The subject of both of my paintings was him. Brooklyn was speechless he honestly didn't know what to say to this.

Seeing the shocked look on his face a smile appeared on mine. This was just the response I was hoping would come out of him.

"Well, what do you think," I asked him.

It took a few seconds before Brooklyn could get over his shock and answer me.

He said "I'm…surprised. I didn't know you made these."

"I started making these a few days after the night we first meet. You were my inspiration that time," I told him.

After saying that the expression on my face now turned serious.

"I actually showed you these because I wanted to ask your opinion on something that involves these two," I said.

"Sure ask away," he said to me.

I took in a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I was wondering if I could enter these two in an art contest coming up soon," I said.

Okay if showing him the two paintings before didn't surprise him this certainly did. "Contest," he asked me.

I nodded my head. I said "Yes, my teacher told me about this art contest coming up. I'm thinking about entering it, but I wanted you opinion first before I did anything about it."

Brooklyn blinked in surprise and put a hand on my shoulder. "Nonsense, of course you can enter in these paintings. But why would you want to enter an art contest anyway?"

"Well the winner of the contest gets two hundred dollars in cash as a prize and as you already know I'm really low on money right now and I really do need it," I said.

Brooklyn leaned in closer and kissed me on the forehead. "Don't let me stop you, Sata," he said to me.

I smiled up at Brooklyn and gave him a little kiss of my own. A moment later I covered back up the two paintings. While I was putting them away Brooklyn had picked up the two easels and put them back where he found them. Before we left the art room the two of us made sure that everything was in place.

Even though as we came into the school we didn't have any problems, but on our way out we did run into a bit of trouble. As we were heading down one of the hallways to where we entered the school something caught our attention. There were another set of footsteps besides our own. Brooklyn and I heard them at the same time. Brooklyn was the one who reacted first among the two of us.

Right when he heard the footsteps Brooklyn put a hand on my shoulder to stop me where I was. I turned toward him and saw that he had a finger to his lips for silence. Brooklyn and I stood there in silence listening to these new set of footsteps.

With horror the two of us realized that whoever this person was he was extremely close and he was getting closer every second. The two of us realized this and tried to quickly find a way out of there. So before whoever was coming our way could see us we ran back down the hallway we were in. When we did the two of us cut through into a different one.

We made it just in time, too. The person who was there walked into the hallway we were in before at the same time the two of us went into another one. Fortunately that person hadn't even heard the two of us at all.

Right when we lost the person behind us Brooklyn and I ran as fast as we could to the same exit we were heading for. We also moved as quietly as possible. Once we were out Brooklyn and I went at a run back to where we had left the motorcycle. We then stopped to catch our breath.

Brooklyn said "Who the heck was that in there?"

"Probably the janitor or a custodian," I said. "They usually stay to patrol the school when no one else is around. I am a little bit surprised though because I didn't expect one to be around here this late at night."

Brooklyn got onto his bike and wrapped his wings around his chest. He said "Well this one must've been working late."

I shrugged and nodded my head in agreement. "Yeah you're probably right," I said.

I then got onto the motorcycle behind him and the two of us went riding away from the school. The place we headed back to was my home.

On the way down to my house Brooklyn and I stopped for some fuel at a gas station. The motorcycle was starting to run out of fuel so we really needed to get some more for it. While Brooklyn put the gas into the bike I went to pay for it inside the station. When I came out Brooklyn was sitting back on the motorcycle and he had the motor running.

As I was getting on the bike behind him Brooklyn's ears head a sound that mine couldn't hear. The reason for this is the roar coming out of the back of the motorcycle.

Brooklyn turned his head toward the sound and when he did he saw what the cause of it was. Down the street Brooklyn saw a band of bikers driving in another street that shortly intersected our own.

He brightened up at seeing these guys. "Yes, kindred spirits," he said in delight.

He said this because as bikers these guys had the same kind of spirit as him. He was about to drive off when he stopped himself and turned toward me.

Like Brooklyn I had, also, seen the band of bikers ahead of us. By looking at his face I could tell that he was asking for my permission in order to ride with this band of bikers. I shrugged my shoulders as if to say, Well—if you must.

Seeing this a really big grin appeared on his face. Brooklyn revved up the engine and rode after that band of bikers before they could get out of his sight.

Right when we reached that intersection Brooklyn speeds up in order to catch up with those guys. Those bikers in front of us didn't see us coming up from behind them. Well at least not until we were right on top of them.

The guy in the back of the group was the one to spot us first. He saw us when Brooklyn brought us straight up beside him. He looked very surprised when he saw the two of us come up beside him. He managed to get the attention of his comrade and point us out to them.

With all of the attention on us now, Brooklyn and I, the entire group came to a complete stop. Brooklyn stopped the motorcycle at the same time as these guys did with theirs.

These guys were all looking at us with smiles on their faces. "Hey, sweet ride, man," one of them said.

One of the bikers got off of his motorcycle and started to walk toward the two of us. The others in his group followed him close behind.

Brooklyn turned off his motorcycle and the two of us got off of it.

"That's some freaking ride bro."

"Glad you like it," Brooklyn said.

Brooklyn may have been talking to these guys, but I wasn't going to. Feeling unsure about this group I was standing behind Brooklyn and out of their view. I was amazed that these guys hadn't figured out Brooklyn was a gargoyle yet. I, also, knew that if they didn't realize it not they would very soon. I was definitely having some second thoughts about this entire thing.

"Where's you get it," one of the bikers asked. He was referring to the red Harley motorcycle. Brooklyn said "Bought it from a dealer."

"Hey cool," another one of them said.

Brooklyn then did something that made my stomach drop. He brought his hands up to his head to take off his helmet. Before he could do it I quickly put my hands up on his and stopped him.

"What the hell are you doing," I asked him.

Brooklyn turned to me. "Don't worry, Sata," he said to me.

He turned away from me and shook my hands off of his own. Brooklyn took off his helmet and held it in his hands while facing the bikers with a smile on his beak. By taking off the helmet his horns came into view.

The bikers could now clearly see what Brooklyn actually was. What Brooklyn expected to see and what actually happened were two completely different things.

The whole group of them jumped back in shock. The looks on their faces changed from being friendly to hostile.

"What," one of them exclaimed. "It's a monster."

It was then that the looks on their faces turned completely hostile.

"Get him," a biker shouted.

With that all of the bikers went to tackle Brooklyn. I moved away from their target in order to get out of range of their attack. When I knew I was safe I looked back and I was horrified to see that Brooklyn had stayed where he was.

With the first tackle Brooklyn dropped his helmet in surprise. This surprise was quite clear on his face. "Hey, what are you doing," Brooklyn shouted.

Brooklyn's shout was ignored by the bikers and he was now surrounded by them. Even though they weren't listening to it I was. I couldn't see Brooklyn as they were punching him all over the place.

I yelled "Leave him alone!" I ran over there and tried to pull the bikers off of him. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to actually move any of them.

Once of the bikers used his arm to shove me away. "Get lost!"

I landed straight on my butt with a yelp.

At that moment there was a roar and all of the bikers were thrown away from him. Some of the bikers were knocked into their own bikes and they landed straight on their backs. I wasn't really paying attention to these guys right know because I only had eyes for Brooklyn.

While these men were attacking him Brooklyn had been brought down to his knees. I started to move closer to help him get up, but Brooklyn held up a hand and I stayed where I was. He started to slowly rise back onto his feet.

As Brooklyn was getting back up I got a really good look at his face. By just looking at it I could tell that he was now extremely angry. As Brooklyn was getting back up he brought his gaze straight at the bikers. His eyes were glowing with anger. Brooklyn had lost his sunglasses with the assault and the arms of his jacket were completely torn off.

I heard a growl come out of Brooklyn as he was getting up. "You wanna fight," he said. "You got it."

Brooklyn let out a huge roar and unfolded his wings. He spread them out wide and in doing so he tore up the rest of his black leather jacket. These guys could now clearly see what Brooklyn was.

Seeing this all of the bikers jumped back in surprise. One of them even took out a weapon a large wrench. This biker ran for Brooklyn with the wrench held up high in his hand. Only this guy didn't get a chance to hit Brooklyn with the wrench at all. This one biker was quite fast, but even though he was on a bit of the heavy side this didn't present a problem for Brooklyn.

Brooklyn easily lifted the guy up above his head and threw him through the air. The fat biker landed on the row of the groups motorcycles and knocked all of them to the ground. The last motorcycle in the row knocked over a nearby trashcan and spilled its contents onto the ground.

Brooklyn grabbed another one of the bikers by the short and threw him at his comrades. This guy landed into three of his comrades and landed straight on the ground. The others in their group just watched on.

The one who we could see was the leader of this little band of bikers was backing up behind his companions. He said "He's just trying to fit in." He lifted up his arm and pointed it straight at Brooklyn. "Get him!"

All of the bikers now ran at Brooklyn and attacked him with full force. There became a huge pile up as these guys jumped straight onto him.

I brought both of my hands up to my mouth to cover up a scream. Fortunately, I needn't have worried at all.

Under all that weight Brooklyn wasn't even hurt. Brooklyn threw many of the bikers off of him as he got back onto his feet. For the ones that were still clinging to him he just threw them with his arms away a few feet.

"Enough," shouted Brooklyn.

With those guys out of the way Brooklyn now faced the leader of this little band. As Brooklyn turned toward the leader of the group the guy reached into his leather vest and pulled out a gun.

"Let's see if you're bullet proof freak," he said with a sneer.

Seeing the gun the bikers closest to Brooklyn scattered. They didn't want to be anywhere near that guns rang.

For a moment Brooklyn turned his attention toward those bikers with a look of confusion on his face. The leader of the group lifted up his gun and pointed it straight at Brooklyn's chest.

Just as this guy was about to shoot something came out of the darkness and intervened. Whatever came out of the darkness knocked into the guys arm with its own tail.

This guy still got a shot in, but it didn't hit its mark.

Brooklyn had moved out of the way before the shot could hit him and he watched as the shot now hit a brand new target.

The new target was Brooklyn's red Harley motorcycle. The gun shot made a direct hit on the bike and as soon as it did the motorcycle exploded. With all of the gas still in its tank the bike exploded immediately on impact. The motorcycle had erupted into flames with pieces of it scattered all over the ground.

Now this made Brooklyn extremely angry. A growl escaped through his beak as he stared at the remains of his motorcycle.

"My bike," Brooklyn said, angrily. Brooklyn roared and faced the bikers once more only this time he wasn't alone in facing them.

As I was watching everything happening from a good distance I saw everything that came out of the darkness before to save Brooklyn. It looked to be another gargoyle and it landed right next to Brooklyn on the field of battle. I couldn't see it that clearly, but I could tell it was a gargoyle by the long tail and wings. These two were now ready for a fight.

One of the bikers had now gotten out a chain and he threw it straight at Brooklyn with one end still in his hand. Brooklyn held up his right arm and the other end of the chain wrapped around his arm. Once he had it in a tight lock around his arm Brooklyn pulled on the chain. Since a biker was connected to the other end of it that guy went flying.

Another one of the bikers went for that mystery gargoyle with his hands turned into fists. He went to punch it in the face, but whoever it was ducked under the guys arm. The mystery gargoyle grabbed the guy by the shirt and lifted him off of his feet. The mystery guy then threw the biker it was holding against a wall and. The guy was completely knocked out cold.

Brooklyn was still being shot at by the leader of this group. Fortunately he was managing to dodge every single one of the shots. The mystery gargoyle that was now finished fighting its opponent had come over to help its fellow gargoyle. The mystery gargoyle pushed Brooklyn out of the guns range. These two gargoyles then headed for the nearest alley at a run.

On the way over to the alley these two had to pass by me. As they did so Brooklyn took my arm and I was now running with them. We were still being shot at so Brooklyn had to make sure I was protected from these shots.

When we got into the alley the mystery gargoyle had already started to climb up one of the walls.

Brooklyn gestured at me with his arm. "Get on my back," he told me.

I did as I was told and got onto his back in between his wings and I wrapped my arms around his neck. Once Brooklyn could tell that I had a firm grip on him he started to climb up the wall following that mystery gargoyle. As we were climbing the leader of that band of bikers got onto his motorcycle and rode away. Leaving his comrades behind him, some leader he was.

In the sky Brooklyn was moving as fast as he could with me on his back in order to keep up with the mystery gargoyle. At the distance we were at the two of us couldn't get a good look at who it was.

"Who do you think it is," I asked him.

Brooklyn shook his head, saying "I'm not sure. I need to get a better look before I can figure out who it is."

Up ahead Brooklyn and I saw the mystery gargoyle land on a building not too far ahead. Brooklyn and I followed its example and went to land on that same building.

As soon as we landed he knelt down slightly so that I could slide off of his back. Once I was off Brooklyn he went to see who it was who had helped us. He managed to spot whoever it was behind one of the two large chimneys. Only before he could get a better look whoever it was moved further into the shadows.

Curious to see who it was Brooklyn made his way toward it. "Broadway, Lexington, Angela" he said in a questioning voice.

In response a voice suddenly came out of the shadows, saying "None of the above."

As soon as I heard that voice I knew instantly that it couldn't be one of his brothers because it had too much of a feminine not to it. Brooklyn noticed it too and he immediately became alert.

Before either of us could say anything whoever it was finally came out of the shadows. With this we were finally able to get a good look at who it was. I was right about the voice check it was a female gargoyle and quite a good looking one too. This female gargoyle had beautiful gray skin and the reddest hair I had ever seen. She was wearing gold earrings and a gold ringlet bracelet on one of her arms. She also wore a golden circlet over her brow ridges. I didn't see any problems with this new gargoyle, but apparently Brooklyn did.

As soon as this new gargoyle came into view out of the shadows Brooklyn's posture immediately changed. "Demona," he growled.

Brooklyn took a few steps back until he was right by me and he held out an arm in front of me. As if he was trying to protect me. As soon as I heard the name Demona come out of him I knew why.

Demona was now moving closer to the two of us. She said "Don't be afraid. I just want to talk."

Brooklyn didn't believe her one bit. With every step Demona took toward us Brooklyn took another step back taking me with him. "Yeah right," he said. "Last time we meet you just wanted to blow me away with a bazooka."

"That was then," Demona said.

Brooklyn said "And this is good bye."

At that moment Brooklyn did a 180 turn and faced the opposite way. As Brooklyn did this he started to lift me up and spread out his wings. He was clearly getting ready to take off.

Demona saw this at the same time I did so she went to try and stop him. She moved even closer to us with her hand outstretched. "Wait please," she said.

I stopped him, too, by putting a hand on his chest. I said "Brooklyn."

He looked down at me and met my eyes. When he did I motioned with my head toward Demona. Brooklyn got the message and he gave me a look that was asking me if I was crazy. I folded my arms over my chest and gave him a look that said I wasn't joking around. I was being very serious.

Brooklyn could definitely see it in my face. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He then set me back onto the ground and turned to face Demona.

Brooklyn said "All right, go ahead."

Demona turned her gaze on me for a second and then turned back to Brooklyn. She said "I tell you now, Brooklyn, do not trust this human. Leave her now while you still can."

A furious look came upon Brooklyn's face as he heard this come out of her mouth. That angry glow came back into his eyes. He shouted "How dare you!"

Demona held up her hands palms out. She did this as if to stop an oncoming attack. "Hear me out," she said.

Brooklyn let out a huge growl but he didn't actually try to attack Demona.

Demona immediately went to explain what she was trying to say a moment ago before Brooklyn tried to attack her.

"Listen to me Brooklyn," said Demona. "If you only knew what I'd gone through for hundreds of years dealing with these humans."

"I've heard you say this before, Demona, and I still don't trust you," said Brooklyn.

Demona wasn't going to let this stop her. "Wasn't this like old time," she asked Brooklyn. "Fighting side by side, comrades in arms." Demona was moving even closer than before.

Brooklyn wasn't going to allow it anymore. He pushed me further behind him with his arm. "Stay back," he said to Demona.

Demona said "I saved your life just now."

After she said this there was a very uncomfortable pause.

I was the one who broke it. I had stayed quiet during this entire time just listening to their words. I did feel a bit upset when Demona told Brooklyn to not be with me. Only I didn't say anything then, now I was speaking my mind.

"Demona," I said in a questioning voice.

Brooklyn turned his attention over to me and nodded his head. He said "Yes, Sata this is Demona, Angela's mother."

Hearing this come out of him I suddenly became a lot more alert. This female gargoyle was Angela's mother. Now that I looked a bit more closely at Demona I could now see the resemblance between her and Angela. If I remembered correctly from the first time I met Angela in her gargoyle form they did look very much alike. This was just a hunch on my, part but it looked like Angela had gotten her skin and hair color from her father. Putting this aside I now confronted this Demona in my own way.

I said "Why do you hate us humans so much?"

Instantly Demona turned her attention away from Brooklyn and over to me. She said "Humans destroyed my clan hundreds of years ago. Their betrayal nearly destroyed us all."

I nodded at hearing her words, but I wasn't going to stop asking questions. "Okay," I said, "I can get that, but during the years you've been around you must've met at least a couple humans that you liked."

Demona narrowed her eyes as she heard this come from me although she looked angry I did see a slight change in her eyes. A softened look came into her eyes, but it lasted only for a moment. It disappeared just as fast as it came on and that hard look came back onto her face.

"A few, but they never lasted long," she said with a big sneer. There was a lot of steel in her voice as she said this to me.

Hearing that in her voice I could tell she wasn't really upset about the people she met who died. Now that was bad. Something must've happened to Demona over the years to make her like this.

I said "But this is now the 20th century. People have changed since your time."

"And how do you know about my time? You weren't even born then," Demona snarled at me.

I looked at Brooklyn for help and he took it from there. He said "I told her."

Demona looked back at Brooklyn. "You told this human," she asked him.

Brooklyn nodded, saying "My brothers and I told her."

Hearing this just made Demona even angrier. "How dare you. You had no right," she screeched.

Brooklyn shouted right back at her saying "I had every right!"

Demona then went back into an attacking position and Brooklyn did the same to her.

I so did not like where this was going. Before a fight could break out I stepped in between these two and held my hands out to each of them in order to keep them at bay.

I said "Stop this immediately there is no need to fight over this."

Brooklyn and Demona were still growling at each other, but they did stop although Demona looked outraged at taking an order from a human.

A moment later I brought my hand up and put it over Brooklyn's chest and when he felt my touch on his skin I finally managed to get his full attention. Brooklyn turned his face away from Demonas and looked straight into my eyes.

I didn't need words to tell him what I wanted from him.

Once Brooklyn received it his eyes softened and he finally saw how upset I was getting over this situation.

"All right let's go," he said to me.

Brooklyn then picked me up and held me in his arms. After one last look at Demona he walked over to the railing and jumped onto it. He then spread out his wings. A moment later he jumped off of the building and flew off into the air with me in his arms.

Brooklyn didn't even give Demona a second glance, but I did. As we were heading off into the north sky I looked back before we got too far away from Demona. This turned out to be a bit hard with Brooklyn's arm in the way.

When I was able to get another look at Demona I saw that she was off, too, but she was flying in a completely different direction than ours. Also, I noticed a certain look on her face. The expression there was full of a lot of anger, but plenty of pain at the same time.

For a second there I started to feel a bit sorry for her. After a few more seconds I turned my head away from Demona and back forward. I was quiet for a few minutes there just thinking things over in Brooklyn's arms. Brooklyn didn't say anything for a while there either.

Just by looking up at his face I could tell that this encounter with Demona was really bothering him. After a while I worked up the courage to try and find out why.

"Brooklyn, what did she do to you," I asked him.

Brooklyn was quiet for a few more seconds before he spoke to me. "I don't know what you mean," he said to me.

I said "Yes, you do. She must've done something to you in order to make you act that way toward her."

"As I told you before she betrayed my clan," said Brooklyn.

"I wasn't referring to that Brooklyn," I said. "I was referring to what she might've done to you in particular."

"She never did anything to me besides her betrayal," said Brooklyn.

"Oh really, then why does your face look like you're going to bite through metal," I stated.

That got him. I saw and could feel him flinch at my words. He knew that I managed to catch him off guard. A moment later he let out a sigh and shrugged his shoulders. He knew defeat when he saw it especially with me.

Brooklyn said "All right, I'll tell you, but I warn you you're not going to like what you hear."

"I can take it now start talking," I said.

Brooklyn nodded his head and then he explained everything to me. Turns out Demona had used Brooklyn to get at Goliath. After this incident Brooklyn lived in shame with himself for a while. He didn't tell me, but I could tell by the sound of his voice as he was telling this all to me.

We came to my home just as Brooklyn finished telling this all to me. We came to my home just as Brooklyn finished telling me his story.

After Brooklyn was finished the two of us were quiet for a little while just staring up into the night sky. I was the one to break the silence between the two of us.

"I'm sorry, Brooklyn, I didn't know," I said, softly.

Brooklyn said "Yeah, well now you do."

Brooklyn then looked toward the moon in order to check its position. There were still a few hours before sunrise, but he decided to leave anyway.

Brooklyn turned his attention back toward me, saying "It's late you should sleep."

A yawn escaped me as he spoke and I nodded my head in agreement with him.

Instead of going in through the attic Brooklyn lowered me down from the roof to my bedroom window with his long tail. He didn't do this before giving me a good bye kiss first.

Once I was at my window I opened it up and slipped quietly inside. Before I closed it I stuck my head back out to have a few last words with Brooklyn.

"So I'll see you next weekend," I said smiling up at him.

Brooklyn returned my smile with one of his own. He said "Count on it, you'll see me again soon."

As he said this Brooklyn brought the tip of his tail over to my face and moved aside a piece of hair that was covering my eyes.

With that Brooklyn flew back off into the night sky. As for me I closed my window and quietly prepared myself for bed. As soon as I lay down in bed I was out like a light.


	13. Chapter 13

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 13

After Brooklyn's last visit I didn't see him for a while after that. Besides my other friends I did see someone else that week and as it turns out this visitor was apparently quite an unwelcome one.

It was a bright sunny day and I was on my way to work. It was a Saturday and I was really looking forward to seeing Brooklyn again after a very long week without him. Father's breakfast was made and I had left the house about half an hour ago.

I was about halfway to work when something very strange occurred.

The entire time I was walking I hadn't noticed a long black limo following me from a safe distance away. When I had reached a crossroad the limo had finally pulled up and moved next to me on the side of the road. I didn't really think much of it at first, well at least before this next thing happened.

The person inside the passenger end of the limo rolled down the window and spoke to me. "Excuse me Miss, do you need a lift?"

I now turned my attention over to the passenger in the limo and saw that it was a young woman. She had blood red hair and she was wearing a tailored suit that matched it. She seemed familiar to me somehow, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I smiled at the woman inside the limo, saying "No thanks."

She gave me a slight smile when I said this to her. She said "Oh, but I insist."

As she said to me I noticed that something changed about her. When she spoke to me I noticed that her eyes hardened. Another thing I noticed was that the smile did not reach her eyes. This woman clearly meant to have her way one way or another.

The smile was gone from my face and the two of us were just staring at each other trying to make each other give in by the strength of our gaze.

During this time the light at the crosswalk had changed and other people were now walking across the street while I was just standing there staring at the woman while she stared back at me. Eventually, after a few seconds I was the one to finally give in.

I sighed saying "All right, you win."

The smile on the woman's face widened in triumph and she slid further into her seat in order to make room for me as I came into the limo with her. As soon as I closed the door the woman spoke to me again.

"Where are you headed to," she asked me.

I told her driver where to go. He pulled away from the curb and immediately went to find that one bookstore.

As the limo was moving we introduced ourselves and turns out this lady was Ms. Destine a lady who owned a major business here in the city. She started up a new conversation with me.

"So, Miss Sagara, tell me about yourself," she said to me.

I was looking out the window at the time, but I turned my head toward her as she said this to me.

"There isn't really that much to say," I told her. "My life isn't really that interesting as may be some others."

"Oh, come now, there must surely be something interesting that's happened in your life," said Ms. Destine.

"As I said already there isn't much to tell," I said.

She said "I know, but what about boys? Is there any special guy in your life just now?"

At this question my face lit up slightly and a smile filled up my face. "Yes, now that you mention it there is," I said.

"Hmm," said Ms. Destine, "by the look on your face he must be pretty special you."

"Yes, he is," I said this in somewhat of a whisper. The smile had grown on my face, but it quickly disappeared with what was said next and trust me I didn't expect to hear it one bit.

She said "So tell me, how is Brooklyn these days?"

Impossible.

The smile immediately disappeared from my face and my eyes widened in shock. To try and hide what I was feeling from her I turned away from Ms. Destine so she wouldn't be able to see how I reacted.

Fortunately, when I spoke to her again I had gained enough control that my voice didn't shake. "I don't know what you mean. My boyfriend's name is Jeff Brooks not Brooklyn," I said to her.

Ms. Destine chuckled, saying "So that was the name he took on when he became human that day, it suits him." There was a note of amusement in her voice as she said this to me.

There was a big uncomfortable pause between us as the limo kept moving on through the crowded streets. After this lady had just said there was no way of hiding my knowledge of the satiation any longer.

In a voice just above a whisper I asked "How did you find out about them?"

Then as I asked this a peel of laughter came out of Ms. Destine. When she stopped laughing she said "Oh, my dear, I have known of them for years and ever since that transformation of theirs occurred."

"How," I asked again.

She said "How? My daughter Angela was one of those transformed of course."

Now this definitely caught me off guard.

The whole time the two of us were talking I had kept my head down and looking out of the window. I didn't want to meet her gaze but when I heard this come from her I snapped my head up and looked right at Ms. Destine. The woman was now wearing a very wicked smile on her face. I looked very closely at her and I now finally realized why this woman seemed so familiar to me when I first looked at her. Even though there were some slight differences in their appearances Ms. Destine did greatly resemble Angela when she was a human. As soon as I realized this I now knew who I was dealing with here.

"Demona," I said in an even more shocked voice than before.

That awful smile on her face grew even larger and there was a very cold gleam in her eyes. "You finally figured it out," she said to me.

I was speechless, but it only took me a few seconds to find my voice again. When I did find my voice I had many questions to ask her. "How can you be human? If Angela is your daughter then aren't you supposed to be a gargoyle like the rest of them," I asked her.

Demona waved her hand in annoyance at me as if she answered this question for someone like this every day. "My curse for making a deal with one of Oberon's children. Puck the trickster can be very tricky to handle," she said to me. "I'm human by day and gargoyle by night."

Demona now turned back to me with that cold gleam still in her eyes, but that wicked smile had finally left her face. "Enough of this time to get down to business. You're probably wondering why I tracked you down," she said to me.

I said "I have a few ideas of what they may be."

"Then tell me," she said back to me.

I said "You want to talk to me about my relationship with Brooklyn." I said this to her with narrowed eyes and a certain tone in my voice.

Demona leaned back in her seat and folded her hands in her lap while looking at the ceiling of the limo. "I am… concerned about it," she said to me.

I said "There is nothing for you to be concerned about. Brooklyn and I have been doing just fine so far and I honestly don't see any reason for that to change."

"Maybe," said Demona, "and maybe not." Her gaze was now turned back toward me and so was the rest of her. "Tell me Miss Sagara, why do you keep seeing Brooklyn?"

I blinked in surprise at her words. I said "I would've thought that the meaning of our relationship was obvious Demona. Especially after what happened a few days past."

"Oh really, then enlighten me," Demona said to me.

I let out a small sigh, saying "I care for Brooklyn and he cares for me. We love each other, it's as simple as that."

Demona said "There must be someone else you love. Surely there has to be someone else who has attracted your eye who is not a gargoyle."

I shook my head at Demona's words, saying "There's only one person I love and that's Brooklyn. I've loved him ever since I first met him."

Demona folded her arms over her chest and she now had a slightly thoughtful look on her face. "I must admit I am surprised with you, Miss Sagara," she said.

"And why is that," I asked her.

Demona said "Well considering the history of your kind I thought you'd use a lot more of your acting skills."

"My kind, I really don't know what you mean by that," I said.

She said "Don't play dumb with me."

Demona leaned in toward me and by the look on her face I could see that her pretense of acting friendly was over. "Listen to me human you may have the others fooled but I can see right through you. Whatever game you're playing it stops now," she said.

"I really don't know what you're talking about, Demona," I said.

"Oh confound it," she shouted.

I jumped at her outburst and I could see that even through the glass that separated the front and back of the limo the driver even jumped a little at hearing her loud voice.

Demona was now speaking in somewhat of a growl through clenched teeth and trust me if she was in gargoyle form her eyes would most definitely be glowing bright. "All right then I'll get right to the point," she said. "If you do anything to hurt or even threaten my clan it will be the end of you!"

There was no hint of a bluff in her voice this woman meant everything she was saying. Now any other human would've flinched and cowered at all of the force coming out of her voice, but I wasn't any of those people. I kept my composure and stood my ground.

I now spoke up in a calm voice but as I did so there was a slight edge to my voice that let her know that I was insulted by her unfair accusation of me.

"How dare you accuse something like this of me. You don't even know anything about me," I said to her.

A cold smile appeared back onto her face and that dangerous look was back in her eyes. "I don't need to I can tell what you're about just by looked at you," she said, sneering.

I said "Next time before you judge someone try getting the facts about that person first. What you find may enlighten you."

After saying this to Demona I knew I had enough of this harassment from her. We hadn't reached the bookstore yet, but I knew I had to get out of there. I tapped the glass separating us from the front of the limo in order to get the drivers attention. As soon as I got it from him I gestured with my arm telling him to pull over to the sidewalk. The driver found an open spot and he immediately pulled over to the side of the road.

When the limo was pulled over I opened the side door. I then stepped out of the limo and back into the light of the sun. Before I left her I turned back to Demona with one last thing to say to her.

"One last thing, Demona," I said.

"Yes," she said.

I said "You have your own way of doing things in your mind along with your own opinions and I respect that, but there is one thing you're wrong about."

Demona raised her eyebrows at hearing this come out of me. "Go on," she said.

"I would never do anything to hurt Brooklyn or the clan no matter what you thing," I said, leaving. I closed the door of the limo behind me as I did so.

As I was walking away Demona rolled down a window to watch me go as I went down the street. She did so for a while there until the driver interrupted her thoughts.

"Where to now Ms. Destine," he called back to her.

She said "Back to Nightstone Unlimited."

"Right away ma'am," said the driver. The driver then pulled away from the sidewalk and back into the street as Demona was rolling back up her window.

With me I kept going back to the events that had just happened through my head. I was furious at Demona for what she just did to me but at the same time I felt sorry for her too. That pity for Demona just kept growing as I was rethinking everything that happened. Even though Demona was now expelled from the clan I could tell that she still loved them dearly just by all the emotion that kept coming out of her voice when she was speaking to me. It must cause her a lot of pain inside to know that she wouldn't be able to be with her clan every night anymore.

I was still pondering this when I finally reached the bookstore where I worked. I went inside and headed for the back room in order to sign in and get on my name tag.

Once I reached the back room I went to punch in my time and sign in. As I was doing this another employee was getting ready for work too. She had got here about a few minutes before me. She was a middle aged woman with brown hair with streaks of gray going through it clearly showing her age. She smiled at me as she was putting on her name tag.

"Just getting in," she asked me.

I smiled back at her in a friendly matter. I said "Yeah I am."

"Well we better not get used to all of the quiet that's here right now," she said.

"Why not," I asked, cocking my head to the side in curiosity.

The middle aged woman said "Don't tell me you forgot. We have a book signing here with that author today."

I slapped my forehead in stupidity, saying "Oh yeah, the book signing, I forgot. You're right we are going to have a lot of business today. Tamora Pierce is after all a very famous author."

The middle aged woman said "Yeah, I know I read her books, too." After she said this the middle aged woman looked up at the clock hung up on the wall to check out the time. "Well we better get to our stations the fun is about to begin."

She was right to the book signing was about to start in just a matter of minutes.

The two of us then left the back room and headed to our stations for the day. Now long after that the book signing with Tamora Pierce started and the people were coming in by the dozens. Every employee in the bookstore including me was kept extremely busy for the rest of the day.

Only no matter how busy I got my thoughts kept on going back to Demona. I kept on hoping that even though she didn't like me very much that I had gotten through to her with my words.

Well I can dream can't I?


	14. Chapter 14

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 14

Later that week Brooklyn finally came to see me again on Friday night. Brooklyn knew that while I was still in high school that it would be easier for me that he only came to see me on weekends and not weekdays when I was busy with so much homework.

The sun had set and the entire clan was just getting up. The entire clan woke up with roars and their stone skin shattered and spread all over the place. The entire lot of them stretched out their bodies and let out a big yawn.

Goliath immediately went to set up the patrol groups before anyone else could do or say anything. "Broadway, Lexington it's your turn to patrol the north end of the city with Angela. Brother, sister you will take the other edge of the city in the Bronx," Goliath said.

Lex said "All right."

"Sounds good, but I need to eat first," said Broadway. Broadway left the tower and headed for the castles kitchen looking for some breakfast.

Lexington followed Broadway at the tail, he wanted to have something to eat, too, before they went out. Angela was going to stay up on the tower for a little while longer.

Othello and Desdemona immediately jumped off of the tower and glided off into the air. These two wanted to get the nights patrol finished and spend some of their time alone together. Goliath nodded his head in satisfaction at seeing these two fly off together.

Goliath turned to Brooklyn to tell him what his duties were for the night only to discover that his second in command was already gone. Goliath searched the skies and saw that Brooklyn was gliding through the air away from the castle not too far away from them.

"Where's he going," Goliath asked.

Hudson chuckled and came up to stand beside Goliath. "The lad is probably off to see that lass of his. It's been nearly a week since he's seen the girl," Hudson said.

Goliath smiled slightly at hearing this come from his mentor. "So that's it, I should've known," he said.

Angela had now come up to stand beside her father too. "What I can't figure out is why he hasn't brought her to meet the rest of the clan yet," she said. "After all she's only met Broadway, Lexington, and me. She hasn't met any of you or the others yet."

Goliath put a hand on his daughters shoulder. "Brooklyn will bring her to us only when she's ready Angela no sooner than that," he said to her gently.

Angela shrugged and let out a small sigh, saying "I might as well go down to the kitchens and get something to eat. I am hungry too." Angela headed down the tower and went for the kitchens to get something to eat with her two clan mates.

Hudson gave Goliath a pat on the back. "Well I'm off," he said.

Goliath turned back to Hudson. "Where are you going this time my friend," Goliath asked his mentor.

Hudson said "I'm heading for the Labyrinth. It's nearly time for me to give those reading lessons to the clones again along with the children down there. They're improving, but they still have a long way to go."

"Then I wish you luck, my friend," Goliath said back at him.

Just then their beast hound Bronx came up to the two of them and started pawing at Hudson's legs.

Hudson kneeled down and scratched Bronx's head behind the ears. "Yes, Bronx, you can come, too, boy," he said to the hound.

Bronx woofed and licked Hudson's face. Hudson picked up the huge gargoyle beast into his arms. Hudson spread out his wings and glided away from the castle toward the Labyrinth with Bronx dangling from his arms.

As for Goliath he left the tower and went to look for Xanatos in order to have a little chat with him about the Quarrymen again.

Brooklyn kept on gliding over the city trying to see if I was somewhere in the city before heading over to my place and as it turns out I was.

The bookstore where I worked was just starting to close up. My boss, the middle aged woman, and I were the only ones left inside the store.

The middle aged woman left the store first. She smiled at me and waved. I did the same thing back at her.

My boss was the next one to go. Before he left he turned to me and asked to lock up the store when I left. I told him that I'd do it for him so my boss took up his hat, coat, and left the bookstore altogether. I left the store, too, not long after he left the place.

I went to lock up the front door of the store before I headed for home. As I was locking up the front of the store I noticed something inside the display window. It was only there for a second, but I definitely saw it. It moved quite fast, but I still saw it very clearly.

I recognized the form as it passed and when I did a smile lit up my face. I kept my eyes on the glass for a few seconds to see if the image would appear again and after a little while my patience was rewarded. I saw the figure land at the top of a building in the shadow of another. The smile on my face grew bigger than it was before. I took the key I had to the store out of the lock and put it into one of my pockets.

A moment later I turned away from the store and started walking down the street. When I started walking the gargoyle hiding in the shadows followed me.

After I walked down a few blocks I looked up and around in the sky to see if my stalking gargoyle was still following me. I was very satisfied to see that he was still in the sky. He was low enough where he could keep an eye on me, but still high enough where no human could obviously see him up there. My Brooklyn was indeed very smart, not as much as his rookery brother Lexington for instance, but still quite smart.

While I was walking down the streets I was looking for a safe spot where Brooklyn and I could meet without being disturbed by anyone at all. I eventually found a good enough spot for the two of us. It was still close by the streets, but sheltered enough to satisfy our needs.

I went into a spot in between two large buildings and once I got there I waited in their shadows for Brooklyn to show up. That didn't take very long at all. It took Brooklyn only a few minutes for him to find a good enough spot to land and come to me.

When Brooklyn saw where I went after I left the openness of the streets he circled around a few times to find a good enough place to land nearby me. After a little while of searching he found a good spot to land above me inside the shadows.

Brooklyn swopped down as carefully as he could so that no one could spot him as he came in to land. In between the two buildings Brooklyn dug his talons into one of the side walls of the buildings which stopped his descent. Brooklyn looked down again in order to keep track of my location. When he did he realized that I was a little bit to his left below him.

Instead of climbing down the rest of the way to get me he decided to try a different approach. Brooklyn stretched out his tail and lowered it down to my level. He could've tapped my shoulder in order to get my attention but he did something a little different about his approach.

Below I was waiting patiently for Brooklyn to come down to me. I was about to see him but the introduction wasn't gonna be what I expected it to be.

Out of nowhere something came out of the darkness and scooped me up off of the ground. At first I let out a small squeak of frightened surprise when this happened to me. This only lasted a second until I calmed down and realized what was happening. I looked above me and smiled up at Brooklyn. He did the same to me as he was lifting me up by the tail toward him.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," he said back to me.

A moment later I was up at his level and we were kissing each other. Brooklyn's tail was still around me, but so was one of his arms while he was using his other one to hand onto the side of the building wall.

After about the fifth kiss Brooklyn started to climb back up the wall of the building we were hanging onto with me still wrapped up in his strong tail. Once the two of us reached the top of the building Brooklyn set me down onto my feet and the two of us embraced with his wings wrapped around us both.

Brooklyn and I were like this for a while and as we were wrapped up in each other he was gently stroking my hair with one of his hands.

"It's good to see you, Brooklyn. I didn't expect to see you so soon tonight. Shouldn't you have gone and waited for me at my place," I said.

He said "I was heading that way, but I wanted to see if you were anywhere out here first before I went there."

I chuckled and gave Brooklyn another kiss on the beak. "Well I'm glad you did," I told him. "To be honest I don't actually feel like going home yet."

Brooklyn raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You don't? I thought your father told you to come straight home every time you leave work for the day," he said to me.

I shrugged, saying "To be quite honest I don't really know if I have to anymore."

"What do you mean," he asked.

I gave Brooklyn an explanation for what I had just told him. "Do you remember while back when I told you something was up with my, Otto-san," I asked him.

Brooklyn nodded his head showing me that he understood and remembered what I was saying to him.

"Well my Otto-san has been getting back home later and later every single night these days. Sometimes he doesn't even get home till nearly after midnight. I know this because some nights during the week when I'm up late doing my homework I can hear him come in through the front door of the house. Otto-san doesn't bother me when he gets in as long as I have his dinner on the table for him before he gets home," I said.

Brooklyn asked "Did you have anything ready for him before you left for work today?"

I was going to say yes to him when I realized that I hadn't prepared anything for my father this day. My eyes widened in horror when I realized this. "Oh no I have to get home," I said in fright.

"Get on my back," said Brooklyn.

Brooklyn released me from his embrace and went down on one knee. He gestured with his arm for me to get up onto his back. I climbed up onto his back and set myself up in a spot in between his wings so that I couldn't get in his way while we were in the sky. As soon as I was settled there Brooklyn immediately took off into the night air and headed for my home as fast as his wings could carry us.

Because of the speed we were moving Brooklyn got the two of us to my house a lot faster than if we took a car. Before we landed we circled around over my house a few times.

As soon as we saw it was safe Brooklyn and I landed next to my house. I looked inside one of the side windows to check and see if my father was home yet. Fortunately, he wasn't anywhere inside the house. When we landed Brooklyn had moved a safe distance away from the house incase my father was home so that he wouldn't be able to spot him. I motioned to Brooklyn telling him it was safe to come closer.

"It's safe, he's not in right now," I told him.

He said "Then we made it, good. I'll wait out here while you get dinner ready for your father."

I gave him a look that clearly stated that I thought he was crazy. "Are you out of your mind," I demanded.

Brooklyn took a step back in surprise, saying "I just thought that…"

I held up a hand and stopped Brooklyn before he could go any further with what he was trying to say. "Save it," I said. "If anyone sees you out here it'll mean trouble for the both of us. You're coming in with me besides I need some help with the cooking anyway."

"But what if he returns while we're inside," he asked me.

I said "If he comes we can always escape through the attic."

Before Brooklyn could protest any further I took his hand and led him to the front of the house. I checked the front of the house to make sure the coast was clear. Once I was sure the way was clear for us Brooklyn and I ran straight for the front door and went inside. I ran for the kitchen to get started on my father's dinner.

Brooklyn on the other hand took things a little more slowly. Since he was inside Brooklyn decided to have a little look around the place. After all the only part of the house he'd ever been in before was the attic.

Brooklyn could see that this place wasn't really in the best of shape. He could see that what I said about my father's drinking and drug use was true. He found empty bottles of beer by the couch along with some drugs too. He saw where all of the money I was earning was going to instead of where it was really needed. It made Brooklyn very disgusted and angry. Clearly he could see that I was being neglected and nothing was really being done about it. In his mind Brooklyn knew that he was going to have a little chat with Elisa about my situation here. Brooklyn was going over this stuff when I called to him from the kitchen.

"Brooklyn," I called.

He said "Yeah."

"Can you come in here, please, I need help," I said.

Brooklyn turned away from the mess in front of him and headed for the kitchen to give me some assistance in there. Inside he saw me running all over the place trying to get everything ready for my father. I was stirring up some soup at the stove when he came in. I pointed over to some vegetables on the counter next to a large kitchen knife.

"Brooklyn, I need you to cut up those vegetables for me. I'm really busy with trying to keep this soup from burning up," I told him.

He said "All right."

Brooklyn went over to the counter next to me, picked up the knife, and started chopping up those vegetables I needed.

"Thank you, Brooklyn," I said, relieved.

"Hey, it's no problem at all," said Brooklyn.

"I wouldn't really ask this of you, Brooklyn, but if I don't get this ready before Otto-san gets home or I'm gonna get a beating for sure from him," I said.

I heard a growl come out of Brooklyn when I said this to him. "He shouldn't be allowed to treat you this way," he murmured to me. "He has to be stopped."

"Even if he was arrested for abusing me nothing would stop him from getting out of prison again and claiming me," I said.

"Well then he should really stop all of his drinking and drug use. It would make things a whole lot easier for you than they are now," he told me.

"Actually he's kind of improved on that since the last time I spoke to you about it," I said.

"You've got to be kidding me," said Brooklyn. "There's a whole bunch of beer bottles and drugs all over the couch out there."

"That's true, but to be honest the number of them out there is a lot less than what it used to be in the past," I said.

"What do you think is making your father slow down," he asked me.

I shrugged my shoulder when he asked this of me, saying "It's probably what's making him come home later and later every night these days." I leaned in a bit toward Brooklyn. "I actually am starting to think he's finally gotten himself a job."

Brooklyn was surprised at hearing this from me. "I thought you said he didn't have any work," he said.

"I did, well at least I thought I did, until now," I said.

"Do you know what it is," asked Brooklyn.

I shook my head, saying "No I'm afraid I don't. I tried to ask Otto-san about it a few weeks ago but he got all angry about it when I did. He told me to shut up and mind my own business. I had to go running up to my room after that because of a beer he threw at my head. Fortunately, he missed he usually does when he's drunk but I never found out anything after that." Then a small smile appeared on my face. "But I will say whatever my Otto-san has been doing he'd better keep doing it because it really seems to be working."

"But what if he's part of some kind of drug dealing," Brooklyn asked me.

I answered "Well I'm fine with anything at this point as long as it brings him away from drinking and his attention off of me."

With that I took the vegetables that Brooklyn had already chopped up, put them in the pot, and started stirring the soup again mixing the vegetables in with the broth. Brooklyn chuckled and then went back to shopping up vegetables for me.

As I was stirring the soup I looked sidelong at Brooklyn. I wanted to check the kind of mood he was in. the reason for this was that I was going to tell him about my meeting with Demona during the week. At the moment Brooklyn seemed calm, he was wearing a smile on his beak as he was chopping up the rest of the vegetables. I decided that now was the right time to tell him about it.

"Um, Brooklyn," I said.

"Yeah," he said.

"There's something I have to talk to you about," I said.

"What is it," asked Brooklyn.

"Well it's about Demona," I said.

A frown appeared on his face when I said the name to him. "What about her?" "Well… I kind of ran into her last Monday on my way to work." That got him.

Brooklyn was about to start cutting up some lettuce when he heard what I said and stopped in his tracks. There were a few moments of silence between us and then Brooklyn exploded.

"What," he shouted. An extremely furious look appeared on his face and his eyes even started to glow in his anger.

Seeing this I immediately went to try to calm him down. "Brooklyn, relax there's nothing to be upset about," I said.

"Nothing to be upset about she shouldn't have even gone near you," he shouted.

I said, calmly "Look, Brooklyn, I'm not hurt okay nothing actually happened."

"What happened while the two of you together," he asked me through gritted teeth, his voice restrained.

I said "We just talked."

He said "I see. What did she say to you?"

"Nothing really, Demona just gave me a warning telling me to stay away from you and the rest of the clan. Also, if I did anything to any of you and the rest of the clan it would be the end of me," I told him. A second later I realized that telling him this piece of information was a really, really big mistake.

The reason for this was that his anger just grew even bigger.

Brooklyn was shaking with unconcealed fury and the glow from his eyes grew even brighter. A very low growl was escaping from his beak. This had most definitely not calmed him down at all. "I'm going to kill her," he said.

This really got me scared but what happened next got me even more worried. I was going to speak to him when I smelled something. It took a moment, but I did recognize the scent, it was blood. Alarmed I quickly looked around for the source of the smell and when I did I didn't like where I found it. In his anger Brooklyn didn't realize that he was cutting the knife into the palm of his hand and a lot of blood was now coming out of it.

"Brooklyn your hand," I said, alarmed.

This broke Brooklyn from his angered trance and he came back to the present.

When Brooklyn came back into reality he could see the wound inflicted on his hand and when he realized the pain came to him head on. "Damn it," he said.

Brooklyn dropped the knife and it hit the floor with a clang. He clutched his hand and a slight sign of pain edged across his face.

I turned my attention away from the burning soup and went over to give Brooklyn a hand with his injury. I took up a washcloth and wet it with some of the water coming out of the faucet sink. I then took Brooklyn's damaged hand into one of my own and examined his wound a little closer.

"Now that wasn't very nice," I told him. I put the cloth on his injured hand and started to clean up his wound.

Brooklyn winced in pain when I touched his wound, the cloth stinging his hand.

"Hold still you big baby," I said.

He said "I can't help it, it stings."

"Well that's what you get when you cut your hand with a knife," I said.

When I was finished cleaning up the wound I threw the ruined cloth into the garbage. I grabbed a paper towel and put it over his injury. I said "Keep this over the cut I'm going to find some bandages."

Leaving Brooklyn alone in the kitchen I quickly ran upstairs to the bathroom and grabbed a small role of bandages from the cupboard. As soon as I got them I ran back into the kitchen.

I got a little surprised when I entered. Brooklyn was down on one knee, using his free hand to clean up the drops of blood that had splattered onto the floor. He smiled up at me as I came in.

He said "Didn't want to leave a mess."

"Good idea," I agreed. "Any blood on the floor might get Otto-san suspicious."

I let Brooklyn finish cleaning the blood off the floor before I went over to him. I brought him over to the kitchen table and sat him right down. I took the bloodied paper towel from his hand and started wrapping up his injury with the bandages I had brought with me.

"This'll take a while to heal, probably will be a few weeks before it's fully healed again," I said to him.

He said "Not weeks, just a full days sleep."

"How can that be," I asked Brooklyn.

He said "As we gargoyles sleep during the day our wounds instantly heal with our stone skin. So that way the wounds inflicted on us the night before are gone completely."

"Clever," I said, "I'm very impressed."

The expression I wore on my face turned to being very serious. "Brooklyn, promise me something," I said.

"What is it," he asked me.

I said "Promise me you won't go after Demona."

A shocked look appeared on his face when I said this to him. "You can be serious," he exclaimed.

I said "I am damn serious on this one Brooklyn. I don't want you fighting her on my behalf."

"But she threatened you," said Brooklyn.

"That may be true, but I still don't want you to fight her at least not until she actually does something threatening to me," I said.

A look of gentleness came upon my face. "Please, Brooklyn, do it for me," I said softly to him.

The two of us looked into our eyes just staring at each other. During this time his eyes actually softened up a little until they were back to their usual gentle gleam from before.

"All right, Sata, you win," Brooklyn said to me.

I smiled and gave Brooklyn a kiss on the cheek.

I was completely finished with bandaging up his hand. The bandages were definitely doing their work. Blood had stopped coming out of his hand. I put the rest of the bandages down on the counter and went back to stirring the soup so it wouldn't be able to burn. While my back was turned Brooklyn gave a look of disgust onto the remaining bunch of bandages. He didn't have to ask why I had so many around in the house because you see he already knew.

Feeling slightly bored Brooklyn thought of making himself useful. "Hey Sata, do you have any garbage bags around here," he asked.

"Sure, they're under the sink. Why do you ask," I said.

He said "I'm going to clean up that mess out there in the other room. I might as well make myself useful while I'm here."

"As you wish, but stay away from the window," I said.

"Don't worry, I won't be seen," he assured me.

Brooklyn went over to the sink, took a garbage bag from under it and went into the other room. A few seconds later I could hear him throwing the garbage into the empty bag.

Time passed by and after a while the soup that I was making for my father was finally ready. I took out a bowl from one of the cupboards in the kitchen. I poured a good amount into the bowl in my hand. Once I had enough of it I covered the top of the pot so that the soup would remain warm incase my father wanted any more later on in the night. I had put the bowl on the table with a bottle of beer when the completely unexpected happened.

Out of nowhere Brooklyn suddenly shouted at me from the other room. "Sata, your father's here," he shouted.

I nearly dropped dead on the spot. "What," I shrieked.

Brooklyn appeared in the doorway with the garbage bag in his uninjured hand. "He's right outside," he said.

"This can't be he's way too early. It's not even eight o'clock yet," I said, panicked.

I ran through the doorway past Brooklyn and over to the front window. I moved the curtain a little to the side and got a good look outside. When I did I almost feinted right there.

"Well, he's here now," said Brooklyn.

He was right, Otto-san was heading straight for the door. I turned back to him with a much panicked look on my face.

"He's coming," I squeaked out at him.

Dropping the garbage bag next to the couch he grabbed my wrist. "Quick the attic," he said in a hushed voice.

Brooklyn and I headed upstairs to the attic as quickly and quietly as we could. We were trying very hard not to make any noise as we were going up the stairs. We had gotten to the attic door when we heard the front door open behind us.

"Hurry," I squeaked. I had to fight really hard from raising my voice when I said this to him.

Brooklyn opened the door and we went into the attic. I went for the window as far away from the door as I could get while Brooklyn stayed next to it with his ear against the wood. He was listening very closely to what was happening below in order to hear what Otto-san was doing downstairs.

"Well," I asked, in a strained whisper.

Brooklyn didn't answer me for a few moments. His hearing was far better than mine and he could hear my father's footsteps. After a while Brooklyn sighed and finally moved away from the attic door. There was a much relieved look on his face as he did so.

"It's safe, don't worry. I heard him go into the kitchen. I think he started eating that soup you had laid out for him down there," he told me.

Hearing this I slumped down next to the window and let out the air I was holding in this time. "That was too close, I nearly had a heart attack," I said.

He said "You got that right, I thought we were dead for sure down there. We're safe now though I don't think he's going to be coming up here."

"The best thing is that he doesn't know I'm even here," I said.

He said "Well we'd better leave before he does or we'll never get out of here." Brooklyn held out his arms to me.

I was about to go into them when a thought came to mind. "Wait a minute," I said.

"What is it," asked Brooklyn.

"I forgot something," I said. After saying this I went back over to the attic door.

When Brooklyn saw me put my hand on the door knob he tried to stop me from going back out. "Are you crazy," he said in disbelief. "You can't go back down there."

"Don't worry I'll just be a moment," I assured him. "

No wait, I…"

But it was too late before he could say anything else I had already opened the door and left the attic. All Brooklyn could do was just sit there and wait for me to come up again, but he didn't have to like it. For the few minutes I was gone Brooklyn kept pacing back and forth around the attic. He was afraid I would get caught by my father down there only he needn't have worried. Brooklyn was still pacing when I slipped quietly back into the room. He stopped pacing when he saw me moving toward him.

"What was so important that you had to go back down for," he asked me.

I held up what I had in my hand by the strap, it was my purse. "Couldn't leave without this. I can't risk Otto-san going through it and taking away all of the money I earned this week," I explained to him.

Brooklyn shook his head and let out a big sigh, saying "Let's just go."

I went over to the window and opened it wide. Brooklyn kneeled down slightly and lifted me into his arms. He leaned out of the window and spread his wings in the full night air. He waited for a strong wind to roll by before he jumped out of the attic and the two of us went with the wind. I looked up at Brooklyn as we were gliding.

"So what are we gonna do tonight," I asked.

A big smile appeared on his beak. "Oh, I have a few ideas," he said to me. He made a sharp turn and headed deeper into the city.

"Where are we going," I asked.

Brooklyn's smile grew even bigger. "You'll see," he said, grinning.

It didn't take long for me to find out where we were going. It was the famous New York baseball stadium. The Yankees and the Mets were having a big game tonight. I was a little surprised when I saw that we were heading for this place.

"The baseball stadium," I said, questioningly.

Brooklyn said "Yeah there's a big game tonight and thought you might want to see it."

"Sure, I love the Mets, they're my favorite team. There's only one problem though, the game is sold out we can't get any seats," I said.

"Not a problem you see I have my own kind of arrangements for these kinds of things," he told me. Brooklyn went in for a landing, but he was careful to make sure no one saw the two of us over the stadium.

As usual Brooklyn landed in a spot full of shadows in order to keep the two of us hidden from any straying eyes. The spot Brooklyn picked out for the two of us was right over the announcer's box. As soon as we landed Brooklyn set me down onto my feet.

"Well what do you think," he asked me.

I said "It's a pretty good spot, I'm guessing you do this often."

"Once in a while," he said in a teasing tone.

I smiled at him and he smiled back at me. Both of our stomachs growled at the same time. We laughed hearing how loud our stomachs spoke to the two of us.

"Looks like we're both pretty hungry," I said.

He said "I'm not surprised we haven't had a chance to eat anything since sunset."

"Lower me down and I'll get us something to eat," I said.

Brooklyn nodded his head at my words. He lowered me down by his tail behind the announcer's box. Once I was down I headed for the food stalls inside of the stadium. Once I was there I waited patiently on line for my turn to come up. When it was my turn I ordered up two hotdogs and a soda for each of us. When I got what we needed I gave the money I owed to the cashier and went back over to where Brooklyn was waiting for me. Behind the announcers box I called out to Brooklyn to let him know I was there. I did it quietly so that no one else around would be able to hear my call. As soon as he heard me Brooklyn wrapped his tail around me and pulled me back up to him along with the food. We took comfortable seats up there and watched the game while we were eating.

We really enjoyed watching the game as the time went by and during this time I informed him of some very important news I had wanted to share with him.

"The art competition is this week," I told him.

Hearing this Brooklyn turned toward me with a look of surprise on his face and in his eyes. "That's right I nearly forgot about that," he said. The surprise on his face turned to being concerned. "Are you ready for it," he asked me.

I nodded my head and took another bite of my hotdog.

"How many of those paintings of yours are you going to enter into the contest," he asked me.

I was still chewing my food so I couldn't answer him. Instead I held up one of my hands to show him the number of paintings I was going to be entering. I was holding up three of my fingers one more Brooklyn had expected to get from me.

The look on his face was even more surprised than it was before. "Three? I thought you were only entering two paintings," stated Brooklyn.

I shook my head, saying "I made another one a few days ago. I'm entering it in too."

"What did you base it on," he asked me.

"Well I based it on the day you guys were human that one time."

"You did," asked Brooklyn.

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea," I said. "My teacher did, too, although I didn't tell her about the gargoyle part of it."

"Good, we wouldn't want to start any trouble on that now do we," he said.

I said "No, we don't." I took another bite of my hotdog and a gulp of my soda. "The contest is going to be held in a gymnasium not far from the school. They need all of the extra space because so many people inside and outside of the school are entering it."

"Sounds like it's gonna be tough with all of that completion going to be there," Brooklyn said.

I said "I have no doubt about that. Right now I just hope that I win. I really need the money, Brooklyn."

He could hear the distress in my voice and tried to comfort me. He said, softly "I know, Sata, I know."

We turned our attention back to the game in front of us. There was only one problem at this point. As it was getting later into the night and time was going by it was starting to get colder. Brooklyn's body may have been more immune to the cold, but mine most certainly wasn't. I was getting the full blast of the cold where I was sitting. Mentally I was kicking myself in the head for not even bringing a coat or a sweater with me before we took off. My body was shivering against the cold night air. I tried hard to hide my condition from Brooklyn, but nothing could escape his eyes.

Seeing I was cold Brooklyn hooked one of his arms around my waist and pulled me to him. Another thing he did was wrapping me up in one of his wings in an effort to try and keep me warm.

I looked up at Brooklyn with a look of appreciation on my face. "Thanks, it's getting kind of chilly out here," I said, gratefully.

"I noticed," he said to me.

I snuggled up closer to Brooklyn, the heat coming from his body was quite comforting in this cold weather.

I sighed in content once I had gotten comfortable. "So warm, it's really starting to get cold," I said.

He said "I'm not surprised winter is nearly here after all."

"Yeah, well until it gets warmer I'm wearing a coat," I said.

Brooklyn turned his face toward me pretending to look hurt at my words. "Why, Sata I'm hurt," he said. "You don't think I can keep you warm." He spoke in an outraged voice, but I could tell by the twinkle in his eyes that he was just teasing me. "

"Oh, I know you can keep me warm Brooklyn, but just the same next time I'm bringing a coat with me," I said, teasing in a firm voice.

Brooklyn said "Suit yourself. You know it's only a while before the Winter Solstice is here."

I raised a questioning eyebrow at him. "Winter Solstice," I asked.

He said "Christmas, in history when I used to live in medieval Scotland it was once called Winter Solstice, but now it's called a much different kind of name. To be honest I'm quite looking forward to it."

"I'm not," I said to him. "Why aren't you looking forward to Christmas," he asked me, concerned.

I turned my face away from Brooklyn and didn't answer him. Brooklyn saw the signs of distress on my face and so he dropped the subject. He didn't mention it again the rest of the baseball game or the rest of the night together. Once the game was over the two of us left the stadium before anyone else could. We didn't want anyone especially the Quarrymen to catch us in any of the lights. Unfortunately, later in the night we wouldn't be able to avoid that fate.

For now the two of us flew up and around the city enjoying ourselves. After a while we were hungry again and so we went to find ourselves something else to satisfy our stomachs. Brooklyn found the perfect place to get ourselves some snacks. Next to Central Park there stood a small pretzel stand. So he hid in some branches while I went to get the two of us some pretzels. Once I got the pretzels I gave the stall owner some change to pay for them and headed back to Brooklyn. We then glided off to a secluded spot somewhere else in the city where we thought we'd be safe from any prying eyes. Unfortunately, we were completely wrong about that.

In an area by the Hudson River this was an area full of warehouses downtown a banged truck was driving down the street. Inside of it two people were talking to each other. These two men were wearing dark blue outfits with matching boots and gloves. Each of them had large metal hammers next to their feet along with dark hoods attached to their belts. Also on their shoulders there was a matching symbol of the same hammer attached onto them.

There two men were Quarrymen.

One of them was that Quarryman from the rally called George and the other was a different Quarryman called Bane. These two were talking about a new car model that had just come out into stores.

"…its supper fast and the armor on the Mercedes 511 are intense and extremely hard to damage. The only down point of the model is that it's way too expensive," said Bane.

"How expensive are we talking about here," asked George.

Bane said "Let's see about 30,000 dollars."

George winced slightly and let out a long whistle at hearing this come out of Bane. "You're right, that's way above my price range," he said to Bane.

Bane said "How much of that would you be able to pay?"

"Only a fifth of that," answered George.

This time Bane let out his own whistle. He chuckled a little at his friend's dilemma. "Yeah, you definitely can't afford something like that," Bane said.

This time these two both laughed at this.

Only their laughter was cut off when George saw something that he couldn't believe.

"What the…"

George immediately pulled over and stopped the truck. When George did this he stuck his head out of the car window and stared off at something in the distance. "I don't believe it," he breathed.

Bane asked "What? What is it?"

George brought a finger to his lips for silence and pointed off into the distance to what he was looking at. Bane now saw it too and when he did he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Not too far away at the top of a tall warehouse building sat a male gargoyle and a young woman.

"What the hell," Bane said.

Before anything else could be said George moved the truck into a secluded spot so that it wouldn't be seen by the gargoyle and young woman. Bane and George put on the Quarrymen hoods.

George opened a side door and got out of the truck. "Come on," he told his companion.

Bane followed him out of his side door and unlike George he took his electric hammer with him just in case. George and Bane hid behind another warehouse while keeping their eyes on Brooklyn and me.

"What the hell is that girl doing with that freak," said Bane. Bane really had to restrain himself from shouting when he said this to George, he was that furious about the situation.

George said "I don't know."

George and Bane stood there watching Brooklyn and me while we were talking and eating our pretzels.

While these two were watching us George for some reason was getting a feeling that he knew me from somewhere. Then suddenly it hit him. Without looking away from the two of us George spoke to his companion. "Hey, Bane, I know this girl," he whispered.

Bane looked at George in surprise through his hood. "You're serious," he said.

George said "Do you remember that rally we had a few weeks back and there was that little riot that happened then?"

Bane nodded his head. "Yes," he said a little unsurely. He wasn't so sure where George was going with this information.

"Well during that riot an Asian girl came out of the crowd and hit me on the head with something in a bag she had with her. Sound familiar pal," said George.

Banes eyes widened in recognition to what George was saying to him. "You mean she's…," Bane said.

George nodded his head. "Yup, she's the same one," he said. One of George's hands was rubbing the back of his head as he said this. "I can still feel the impact on my head where she hit me." George winced, remembering the feeling.

Bane winced with him, trying to imagine it. "Ouch," he said.

George said "Definitely."

Bane said "How can this girl betray her own kind?"

"Traitors usually don't need a reason to betray their own side," George said to him.

Bane said "Yeah, you're right."

That was the end of the talking now for a while between these two. Bane and George stayed where they were while keeping their eyes on Brooklyn and myself. At one point Bane went back to the truck for a small video camera they had with them. Thought of videotaping everything they were seeing as evidence for the so called great leader of theirs. When Bane got back to George he immediately turned on the camera straight at the two of us although he was very careful in making sure that we couldn't see it in the light. Fortunately, for them we couldn't see it there at all.

Back to Brooklyn and me it didn't take long for the two of us to finish up the pretzels we were eating. Brooklyn had finished his in only three bites while I took my time with mine. Brooklyn had his wing wrapped around me again the entire time we were sitting there to keep me warm. Once I was finished that was when it was time to move on.

Brooklyn looked down at me. "So what do you want to do now," he asked me.

I let out a very big yawn, showing that I was tired before I answered him. "To be honest I want to go back home. It's late and I'm tired," I told him.

Hearing this Brooklyn looked at the moons position in the sky in order to check what time it was. The moon was low in the sky so he could see that there were only about six hours left before sunrise. He may have been wide awake but for me it was way past the time when I should've been long asleep by now.

"You're right, time to be heading back," he told me.

Brooklyn raised himself back up onto his feet and as he did so he swept me up into his arms. Brooklyn spread out his wings and glided back off into the wind.

When they saw that we were heading somewhere George and Bane went running back to their truck with one of them still keeping track of where we were. The camera was still pointed at the two of us. Reaching the truck George took the driver's side again while Bane went back to being on the shotgun.

"You still got them," George asked.

Bane said "Yeah."

"Don't lose them," ordered George.

A moment later George started up the truck and started following the two of us with Bane telling him where to go. These two kept going down the streets weaving around buildings and trying to keep up.

In the meantime, above in the sky Brooklyn and I had absolutely no idea that we were being tailed by two Quarrymen. To the two of us everything was going just fine.

It didn't take long for the two of us to reach my house because my neighborhood wasn't really that far away from where we were before. Brooklyn circled around a few times, but then landed lightly onto the attic roof. Before I went inside Brooklyn and I stood there wrapped up in one another's embrace.

"Had fun tonight," Brooklyn asked me.

I said "Definitely, the game was quite interesting."

Brooklyn smiled, saying "I'm glad." A thoughtful look came upon his face. "Look, Sata I know you may not want to hear this, but I really want you to rethink the Christmas thing."

I gave Brooklyn a look that clearly told him I wasn't at all delighted to hear this. "I don't know," I said.

"Look, Sata, just because your father is a jerk doesn't mean you can't have a good time on Christmas," stated Brooklyn.

I was going to tell him to drop it but at the very last minute I changed my mind. I actually gave into him. "I'll think about it," I said.

Brooklyn smiled and gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. "That's my girl," he said.

I leaned forward and kissed his beak. A minute later Brooklyn lowered me down on his tail and I entered the attic through the window. I poked my head out to get one last look at him before he left for the night.

"Good night," I said.

"Good night, Sata, sweet dreams," he said, softly.

After Brooklyn said this he spread his wings and jumped back into the wind. As he was gliding away I waved good bye and blew him a kiss. Next thing I did was pull my head back into the attic and closed the window. I locked it up and went down to my room to prepare myself for bed.

Outside George turned in his seat and looked over at Bane. "You get all that," he asked Bane.

Bane nodded his head. "Got every since piece of it," answered Bane. He was shaking his head. "I don't like this."

"If you don't like it think of how Castaway's gonna react when we show him this," said George.

Bane said "Let's go."

George pulled away from the side of the road and the two of them headed back to base and to their own homes. They decided that they were going to show Castaway their information the next night. So for now I was safe and so was my beloved.

Brooklyn in the meantime was unaware of the danger ahead and was calmly gliding on the wind back to his home. On his way back he ran into one of his clan mates. Hudson was just returning from giving his lessons at the Labyrinth to the clones and the young children there.

Out of the two of them Brooklyn saw Hudson first and so went to intercept him. "Hey Hudson," he shouted.

Hearing his name Hudson turned his head trying to look for whoever had said it. A smile lit his face when he saw that it was Brooklyn. "Hello," Hudson shouted back.

Brooklyn moved closer until he was right beside the elder. "Finished up for the night," Brooklyn asked him.

Hudson nodded, saying "Aye, just finished up with the young ones."

"How are they doing," asked Brooklyn.

Hudson said "Fine, just fine. The little ones learn quickly and the clones are coming along nicely, too. Delilah is still the fastest learner out of the five of them but the others should be able to catch up."

"That's good. Goliath will be very pleased to hear about their progress," Brooklyn said.

Hudson said "And how was your night lad?"

A big grin appeared on Brooklyn's face. "It went great, Sata and I went to see the big game and I think she enjoyed it," he said.

Hudson nodded his head satisfied. He said "That is good to hear even though I have never met her, she seems like a fine lass."

"That she is Hudson, that she is," Brooklyn said.

Hudson said "Say, lad, some of us in the clan are wondering when you'd bring her to meet the clan?"

"I don't know, Hudson. I'll bring her when she's ready. I actually tried once before to bring her to the castle but she turned it down. I do think I'll bring her soon," said Brooklyn.

Hudson nodded his head in satisfaction at hearing this and the two of them glided on.

When these two reached the Eyrie building they circled around the castle a few times before they landed inside the courtyard. When this happened these two went their separate ways until sunrise. Hudson and Bronx went for the TV in the gargoyles private quarters while Brooklyn went to look for his rookery siblings. He found them inside the castles kitchens having a little late night snack. Broadway had made up some sandwiches and Angela along with Lexington was eating them right up.

When Brooklyn entered the kitchen Lexington motioned him over to where the three of them were eating. "Hey, Brook, have a sandwich they're really good," said Lexington.

Brooklyn said "Sure." Brooklyn came over and took a sandwich from the plate on the table. He then leaned on the counter and started to devour the sandwich. "So how was your night," Brooklyn asked.

Broadway said "It was good. There wasn't much trouble tonight just a few muggings and one robbery. How was yours?"

Brooklyn now gave them the same information he had given Hudson but this time he added something extra to what he was saying. He said "You know while we were out Sata told me something very interesting."

"What was that," Angela asked.

Brooklyn said "That last week your mother paid her a little visit while she was on her way to work." This caught the attention of everyone in the room.

At hearing these words Angela's along with Broadway's and Lexington's faces turned very serious. There was a note of interest in their faces as well.

"What happened," they asked, but more like demanded from Brooklyn.

So Brooklyn told all three of them what I had told him. When he was finished all three of the others were furious. Broadway and Lex let out angry growls and even though Angela was furious the expression on her face was of great distress.

"How could she do such a thing? I don't believe it," Angela said.

Brooklyn said "Believe it Angela."

Lexington said "We should tell Goliath. He'll agree that something has to be done about her this time."

Broadway nodded his head in agreement with his rookery brother. "Demona needs to be taught a lesson. She can't go around threatening people like that," he growled.

Angela was about to protest against this when Brooklyn spoke up first. "No," he said.

This got surprised looks and remarks out of all three of them. "No," Broadway, Angela, and Lexington shouted.

"Are you crazy, this is the chance we've been waiting for," Lexington shouted.

Broadway said "He's right Demona needs to be taught a lesson."

Brooklyn was shaking his head at the arguments they were giving him. "I said no you guys."

"But why," asked Lex.

Brooklyn gave out his explanation to them. He said "When Sata told me all of this I was angry too and I wanted to go after Demona right then and there."

"What stopped you," Broadway asked.

Brooklyn said "It was Sata, she stopped me. You see she could see that I was quickly losing my cool so she immediately went to try and calm me down before I did anything stupid. Once I was back to normal she told me not to go attacking Demona. When I asked her why she told me that she didn't want a fight between the clan and Demona to start on her behalf."

Broadway and Lexington were staring at Brooklyn with expressions of total disbelief on their faces while Angela was looking at him with gratitude.

Out of nowhere a voice spoke out from behind them. "Smart girl," it said.

All four of them turned in surprise and spotted Goliath standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Goliath," Angela exclaimed. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough," he answered. Goliath moved further into the kitchen and closer to the four of them. Goliath directed his attention toward Brooklyn. "Looks like the girl didn't stop you soon enough."

At first Brooklyn was slightly confused, but then he looked to where Goliath's eyes were directed at and saw what he was referring to. It was his bandaged hand that Goliath was talking about.

"Oh that," said Brooklyn. "Yeah, I kind of remembered too late that I was holding a knife in my hand at the time."

Broadway asked "Why were you holding a knife?"

"Before the two of us left her place I was helping her out with some cooking before her father returned home," said Brooklyn.

"That was nice of you," said Angela.

Goliath said "The main thing here is that the girl, Sata, has the right idea. We shouldn't and will not attack Demona."

"But, Goliath, Demona threatened her," Lexington said. He was being very persistent in this one subject right now.

Goliath turned back to Brooklyn. "Brooklyn, tonight when you saw your friend was she hurt at all," he asked.

Brooklyn said "No, there wasn't a scratch on her."

Goliath was now nodded, satisfied in what he was hearing from Brooklyn. "Good," he said, "then we have no quarrel with Demona, for now. I suggest the rest of you drop the subject."

Goliath had a very hard look in his eyes and he was staring at Broadway and Lexington as he said this. Those two still looked defiant, but they knew they couldn't do anything now that Goliath had intervened in the matter before they could. Knowing he had made himself clear Goliath nodded at the four of them then he turned around and left the kitchen.

Brooklyn, Broadway, Angela, and Lexington stood there in silence for a little while, but then after a few minutes they went back to their meal. These four, also, found a few other things to talk about while they were at it.

Brooklyn let the other three do the talking for a while before he even spoke again. When he did he spoke of the art contest I was going to be in this weekend and what kind of paintings I would be entering in it. They weren't at all surprised that I would mostly be entering pictures of Brooklyn, but Angela did seem a little bit concerned by it.

Angela made her fears perfectly clear to Brooklyn. She said "Don't you think it's risky for her to be entering paintings of you, Brooklyn? I mean if there's a Quarryman in there they might think she actually knows us?"

All of them knew what she was talking about, but Brooklyn quickly went to reassure her. He said "Don't worry, we've saved so many people from muggings that they do keep our images in their heads. So people will probably think that she was in one of those situations."

After saying this Brooklyn took the last bite of his sandwich and then he left the kitchen to go off and so something else until sunrise. He eventually found something to do inside the castles imported gym.

Xanatos was practicing his martial arts with Owen at the time so he decided to stay in there and just watch them. At one point when the two were taking a break Xanatos spotted Brooklyn leaning on the railing of the second floor of the gym.

Xanatos waved and called up to Brooklyn, saying "Hey, Brooklyn, come down and join us!"

"You sure," Brooklyn asked.

Xanatos nodded, saying "Yeah, come on down!"

So Brooklyn leaped over the railing and smoothly landed onto the gym floor below him.

Xanatos was drinking from a small water bottle he had with him. After a few gulps he spoke to Brooklyn again. He said "I thought you might want to learn a few more techniques before sunrise."

"Sure that's fine with me," Brooklyn said.

Xanatos said "Good then let's begin."

Xanatos and Owen now moved back into the middle of the floor and they started practicing again with Brooklyn watching closely at everything the two were doing. Just by watching them he was still learning quite a lot. Once in a while Brooklyn would come in and practice some of the moves they were doing, but that was it. Brooklyn kept doing this until it was nearly sunrise and that was when he went to meet up with his clan before the sun rose.

Brooklyn ran into Othello and Desdemona on his way up to the tower so he the rest of the way with them. Once they were up there Desdemona and Othello went to their spots next to Goliath on the tower and Brooklyn went to join his rookery siblings. When he reached them he four of them took up their positions on the tower. While up there his rookery brothers noticed he was fidgeting on his perch.

Broadway knew what was bothering him and so tried to reassure his brother. "Don't worry, shell be fine," Broadway said.

Brooklyn stopped his fidgeting and smiled at Broadway. He said "Yeah, you're right I shouldn't be worrying about her."

A moment later the clan took up their poses and was frozen in stone because the sun had come up. Only Brooklyn was wrong, by tomorrow I wasn't going to be fine at all.

**Uh oh. Sounds like trouble is coming. The Quarrymen are getting involved.**

**Please review.**


	15. Chapter 15

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 15

Saturday was here, the day of the contest had come. I still had to work on this day, but I had arranged things with my boss so that I would have the afternoon off for the contest. So I had left for work as soon as I had finished eating breakfast along with making some eggs and bacon for my Otto-san. So when I was finished doing that I was off to my job at the bookstore. The same thing was said for my Otto-san.

As soon as he pulled himself off of the cough he went into the kitchen to eat the breakfast I had made for him. My father ate quickly because there was a meeting that he had to get to. By his appearance he may not have looked it, but he did have a job.

When he was finished eating Otto-san as usual didn't even bother to clean up after himself. He left his entire mess out on the table.

As he left the house he grabbed up his coat which was lying flat out on the couch where he had just been sleeping. Once he had put it on Otto-san had left the house all together. He didn't even bother to lock the door on his way out. He was that careless when it came to his own home.

For a while Otto-san walked down the streets of our neighborhood until he reached a bus stop. He waited there for a while until the bus he was expecting came along. Otto-san got onto the bus and he let it take him to where he needed to be. The bus he was on stopped at multiple places before my father actually got to his original destination.

The bus took him all the way to the Manhattan area of New York. This was extremely far from the area where the two of us lived alone together. When the bus reached Manhattan my father got off at the first stop there and walked the rest of the way.

This destination was a large building with hardly any windows. Unlike most buildings it was only about four levels high.

There were two people standing at the buildings main door. One of them was tall and wearing a black suit while the other was short, but, also, wearing the same type of suit as the other.

As Otto-san was moving forward he took something out of one of his pockets and slapped it onto the front of his coat. It was a button of some kind and the two men at the door were wearing the same button on their coats, too. When father passed them the two guys nodded to him and he nodded back. It was then that the symbols on their buttons became quite obvious.

The symbol was of a giant electric hammer, Quarrymen.

Inside the building Otto-san headed down to the basement where the meeting was taking place. Going down a large ramp under the building he went to a bigger doorway with another Quarryman standing guard there. This guy was wearing the fully Quarryman's uniform with the hood, hammer, and everything else with it. This guy opened the door and let him right in.

Past the door was a very large conference room with a podium at the front of it and a big screen in the middle of the back wall. All of the chairs inside this conference room were now nearly filled in accept for a few seats. My father took one of those seats in the back. A few others soon came in and then the meeting started to commence.

The leader of this group, Castaway, now came up on stage to stand behind the podium with two other Quarrymen at his side. These two were wearing the Quarrymen's uniforms with their hammers in their hands, but without the hoods. Those were hanging from their belts.

My father recognized them as Quarrymen called George and Bane. George's brother Richard was sitting in one of the front rows. At this time many people in the room were talking, but when Castaway held up his hands they immediately went silent.

Castaway looked around at everyone in the room before he spoke. Castaway was of a strong build with smooth blond hair and a mustache. After a few moments he finally spoke to his followers.

He said "My friends, fellow Quarrymen, you all know why we usually gather here in these meetings." Everyone sitting down nodded their heads. "Well today we will be revealing a traitor to our kind." This brought exciting murmurs and movements out of everyone in the room. "Yes, you heard me right a traitor and one that is in this very city."

Castaway now lifted up his arm and pointed it straight at George and Bane. "Last night two of our finest caught the traitor in the act with one of those demons. They got it on tape and now we have it here for all to see. Let the traitor be revealed," Castaway shouted.

There were roars and shouts of approval from every single section of the audience. Castaway signaled to another Quarryman by a VCR player. At this signal the Quarryman slipped the tape he hand in his hand into the VCR and someone else turned down the lights in the room.

Before the tape started up Richard out of the blue came out and asked a question. "What is the so called traitors' crime," he asked.

Castaway narrowed his eyes. "The ultimate one," he said, through gritted teeth.

Right then a moment later the tape started. It began right when Bane had first turned on the video camera the other night which made the first image with Brooklyn's wing wrapped around me while we were eating pretzels.

There were angry growls and murmurs at seeing this. They were disgusted at how comfortable I seemed being this close to Brooklyn. Castaway himself was even wearing a furious expression on his face, but nothing was said now, at least not yet. For now the recording went on without any kind of interruptions. The men in the room were already angry at seeing this, but nowhere near as furious as when they saw the two of us embrace and me giving Brooklyn a small kiss on his large beak.

It was when I had waved good bye and blew a kiss to Brooklyn from the attic that an actual reaction was finally brought out. After I blew a kiss at Brooklyn's retreating figure an angry roar came from the back of the conference room.

"The little chit," a voice roared. "Wait till I get my hands on you, you fucking bitch!"

All heads now turned to the source of the outburst. Otto-san had jumped out of his seat in pure anger. Now that he was standing everyone there could see that he was shaking with fury and his eyes were nearly popping out of his head.

Every single Quarryman in that room was staring at Otto-san with curious expressions on their faces, but none more curious than was Castaways.

Castaway was looking at Otto-san with an expression of great interest on his face. "Explain yourself, soldier," Castaway said.

My Otto-san had to take some deep breaths before he could regain enough control to speak again. When he could speak, Otto-san said "Castaway, I know this girl."

Castaway raised a brow in surprise at hearing this from him. This, also, caused many others to look at each other in surprise.

"How is that," asked Castaway.

"Sir, I'm sorry to say it's because she's my daughter," said Otto-san, teeth gritted.

Now this really got shocked reactions out of nearly everyone in the rom. Outrages shouts filled the air while other who didn't shout just looked at their neighbors in complete surprise. Castaway was the only one in the room who hadn't reacted at all.

Castaway only stood where he was expressionless until after a few minutes and he once again held up his hands for silence. Seeing this, the room immediately quieted down.

"If she is your daughter then why didn't you know about her little excursions with that demon," demanded Castaway.

Otto-san said "Sir, I swear if I'd known about what she was doing I would've beaten and brought her here myself." There was so much emotion and seriousness in his voice that many of the Quarrymen in there believed him.

Fortunately, for Otto-san so did Castaway. He was nodding, satisfied with the answer my father had just given him.

"Very good," said Castaway. "You may remain as one of us."  
>Trying not to let anyone notice Otto-san let out the air he had been holding for the last few minutes.<p>

"What's your name, soldier," asked Castaway.

My father seemed to stand a bit taller. "Yoshi Sagara, sir," he said.

Castaway said "Well then, Mr. Sagara, you will be participating in my master plan."

"Plan, sir," asked my father.

For a few minutes Castaway just walked around the stage not saying anything while his followers waited patiently for him to speak again. When Castaway did speak he explained what his plan was to them.

He said "Tonight when the girl returns to her home we will take and bring her to our base. Once she's here we will interrogate the girl and get everything she knows out of her. She may even know the location where those demons are hiding."

"But Castaway what if she doesn't really know anything?" It was Richard who asked this question. There was a bit of concern in his voice when he asked this of his leader, but fortunately for him no one else around realized it.

A very nasty smile now appeared onto Castaway's face when Richard asked his question. He said "Then she'll be the perfect bait in luring out those demons from hiding and whatever information we do get out of her we'll just use against them. Now prepare for battle!"

Roars of approval came out of everyone in the room at hearing these words come out of their commander, well almost everyone. Richard wasn't cheering as loud as the rest of them even thought he was yelling and clapping like the rest of them he wasn't really putting any feeling into it.

Unlike my father whose shouts were the loudest of them all. Any trace of love my Otto-san still had for me vanished when he saw me on that recording. Now like Castaway and all of the other Quarrymen there he was going to do everything in his power to capture and kill all of the gargoyles living in this city even if it meant taking innocent lives, including mine, in the process.

The Quarrymen now started to prepare for what was to come and to, also, move over to a new facility.

I was so, so nervous. I mean when were they going to announce the winner of this competition?

I was inside the gymnasium where the art contest I had entered was being held. The contest had started hours ago and people were still moving around the place looking at all of the pieces of artwork entered here that very day. During this whole time I just stood by the display of artwork I had brought with me waiting for it to end.

For the past few hours since the contest originally began I watched as the judges went everywhere in the gymnasium examining all of the exhibits.

People passing by my exhibit kept giving my two paintings looks. The expressions on their faces were mostly of surprise, disgust, and curiosity. I wasn't at all surprised by any of this because it wasn't everyday anyone openly expressed what so many people these days despised, feared, and not to mention hated so much.

I wasn't at all fazed by any of this. Every time someone gave me one of these looks I kept my cool and bore a smile on my face. Whenever someone stopped and asked me some questions about my paintings I answered them with clear and strong answers. I already made up excuses for these kinds of questions they now asked of me days before so I was prepared for them. Satisfied, this person would always move off and not ask anything more of me.

I kept up this routine until the judges finally came over to my exhibit. It was then that things changed up a bit for me.

Unlike everyone else the judges didn't ask me any of those questions they remained silent and wrote plenty of observations and notes down onto their clipboards. While they were doing all of this the expressions on their faces were completely blank. I couldn't get any type of reading off of them. This is the reason of why I was feeling so nervous. After their observations the judges moved away without saying a single word to me and that made me feel uneasy.

It wasn't long after they visited my small art exhibit that the judges finally made up their decision of the winner. Out of nowhere the voice of one of the judges spoke out from the loud speakers inside of the gym.

"Excuse me, may I have your attention please?"

Everyone in the room including myself turned to the stage inside the gym where the judges were now standing. One of the male judges was the one who spoke up. Once he had everyone's attention he went on talking.

"Thank you," he said. "After careful observation the other judges are now ready to announce the results of this year's competition."

At hearing this all of the contestants seemed to straighten themselves up. The male judge at the microphone sniffed and repositioned his glasses on his nose. The judge then looked down at his clipboard. Many of the competitors in the room, including myself, were now holding their breath in anticipation.

"Second place goes to Leo Wyatt for his creative models of the roman gods."

Everyone in the room clapped for the second place winner as he went up for the yellow ribbon the judges offered him.

The judges then announced the person in the first place position. "First place goes too…Billy Miller for her outstanding abstract paintings."

There was a large cheer as the first place winner was announced to the entire audience.

I joined the cheers, but with a downcast look on my face. I good a pretty good look at the winner. She was jumping in joy and her family was crowded around her giving her plenty of hugs and kisses.

Then the person in third place was announced. "And in third place is Miss Sata Sagara."

A slight cheer went up for me, but not nearly as loud as the first and second place winners of the competition.

I managed to put on a convincing smile when I went up with the first place winner to get my small prize. Unlike the first place winner who got the prize money and a trophy I only got a small white ribbon. Once I got the ribbon I shook hands with the judges and went back to my place on the floor. Not long after that everyone started to leave and the contestants cleaned up their areas.

As I was cleaning up my exhibit I hadn't noticed a lady coming toward me. "Excuse me," she said.

Hearing her voice I turned around to face her. This lady was tall, blond, and looked to be in her early thirties. She was wearing a neat purple suit with matching violet shoes. She smiled and held out her hand to me.

She said "Hello, I'm Andrea Calhoun."

"Sata Sagara," I said, shaking her hand.

Calhoun said "I know I heard the judges announce your name. You did a really good job."

I let out a sigh and shook my head. "But not good enough," I said.

Andrea Calhoun said "Well it was to me. I want to buy your paintings."

Her words surprised me. I didn't expect to hear this. "Excuse me," I asked, surprised.

Andrea Calhoun put a hand into her purse and pulled something out of it. It was a checkbook. She opened it and wrote something down. When she was done she ripped out a check and held it out to me. I took the check from her and looked at what she wrote down. When I looked at the number on the check my eyes nearly bugged out of my hand. The number written down was 1,200 dollars.

I looked back up at Andrea the shock quite clear on my face. I held the check back out to her. "This is too much. Ma'am, I can't take this," I told her.

Calhoun was shaking her head, no, before I was even finished speaking to her. She held up her hands palms out. She said "No, Miss Sagara, you keep it. Trust me these paintings are with every penny of it." Andrea Calhoun held out her hand to me.

I hesitated for a moment, but then after a few seconds I held out one of my own to her and the two of us shook hands. "I thank you, Andrea-san," I said.

Andrea said "My pleasure, Miss Sagara."

I smiled.

Andrea returned my smile with one of her own and nodded at me. She then left in order to claim all of her new paintings including the picture I had painted that was not of any gargoyles.

I then looked down at the check in my hands. I brought it up to my face and gave it a very big kiss. The next thing I did was gather up my stuff together. I took up my coat and purse from where I had put them before the competition started. I slipped the check inside of my bag and left the place.

It was such a long way from home from where I was in the city I decided to take a bus, but because of my happy mood I wanted to walk part of the way. So I ran to the nearest bus stop and got onto the first one that was heading where I wanted to go. While I was on the bus I really couldn't get rid of the bid smile that was on my face. I honestly couldn't wait to tell Brooklyn how things turned out for me today even though I didn't win. There were still a few hours left before sunset, but I knew that I could wait for him.

Halfway back home I got off of the bus and walked the rest of the way to my house. There was a spring in my step as I was moving along the streets. After a while I eventually came to my neighborhood and reached my house soon after.

I skipped into my house and went right inside. Unfortunately I was too preoccupied to notice a large truck parked further down the street and the people inside of it were watching me with cold hostile eyes.

I hung up my coat and went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator I took out a can of soda and headed upstairs to my room.

On my way up the stairs I spotted some of my father clothes on the steps. Not wanting to trip on any of them I picked up the scattered clothes as I was going up the steps. Before I put my father's clothes away for him I went into my own room to drop my purse down so that it wouldn't get in the way.

It was so filthy in my father's room that I had to step on trash, I could hardly see the floor. Somehow I made it over to the bed and dropped the clothes I had picked up onto it. I put my soda down next to the pile.

Hands on hips I shook my head at the complete mess in front of me. I then went over to Otto-sans dresser. I was planning on cleaning up this entire mess before sunset, but something happened then that stopped me right in my tracks.

I pulled open the top drawer and when I did I nearly threw p on the spot. Inside the drawer was a full out Quarryman's uniform. It was the full suit, but the only thing missing from it was the large electric hammer that came with it. At this point my legs could now only barely hold me up and I nearly couldn't breathe.

My own father a Quarryman.

I had to cover my mouth with both hands to keep myself from screaming. I stood like this for a little while, but to me it felt like an eternity.

Suddenly I heard a very large crash come from downstairs along with an equally loud roar. "Where are you, you little bitch!"

I knew that voice all too well. Without thinking I ran straight into the hallway to see what was happening. What I saw was most definitely not a welcome sight to me.

There he was my Otto-san standing at the bottom of the stairs with a giant electric hammer in his hand. His face was full of fury as he was looking up at me.

"My own flesh and blood a gargoyle lover," he shouted.

I nearly dropped dead. I dropped down onto my knees at the top of the stairs. Impossible, how could he possible know? I wasn't given any more time to thin on this because next moment things took an even bigger drastic turn for the worst.

With a roar Otto-san charged straight for me, dropping the hammer and coming at me with his fists.

I screamed and backed down the hallway heading for the attic and away from my father's flailing fists. When I came to the attic door there was an immediate problem, the door wouldn't open.

"No, oh please, not now," I said. While trying to open the attic door I kept looking behind me.

Otto-san was getting closer and closer with every second.

Then, at the last possible moment, just as Otto-san was going to knock into me the attic door finally opened. The door opening like that was unexpected so I fell against the attic stairs when it did so.

"When I'm through with you, you'll wish you were dead," roared my father. Otto-san then attacked me.

Just as I was trying to get back onto my feet Otto-san landed his first punch on me and another one came soon after. These two landed on my face and shoulder. I screamed as his fists hit my body. Right when he was about to land another on me I made my get away.

Believe it or not I managed to pull myself out of his grip and ran out of the attic. Otto-san tried to follow, but I slammed the door right in his face. I pushed back into the door trying to keep him in, but he was ramming himself against it.

I quickly looked around for anything to jam the door and I spotted his hammer only a few feet away from me. I reached for it and when I got it I used the hammer to jam the door. Once that was done I headed straight for the phone inside of the kitchen downstairs. AS I was running I could hear Otto-san slamming against the attic door. I went down the stairs as fast as my legs could carry me and went right into the kitchen.

As soon as I entered I grabbed the phone from where it was hanging on the wall and immediately dialed the number for the police. As the phone was ringing I was moving from foot to foot in fear.

"Come on, come on pick up," I said.

Finally after what seemed like forever someone answered on the other end of the line.

"Elisa," I said.

On the other end Elisa Maza recognized my voice on the other end, too. "Sata," she asked, surprised.

I couldn't believe my good luck. "Thank god," I said, much relieved.

By just hearing me speak Elisa could immediately tell that someone wasn't right. "What's wrong," she asked, voice serious.

I then quickly tried to tell her everything. I said "Elisa, I need your help."

"What's happened," she asked.

I was about to speak again when I suddenly heard a loud bang coming from the front of the house and glass breaking. I gasped and turned my body trying to see what it was, but standing where I was I couldn't really see anything out of the kitchen. I could only hear and right now I heard plenty of voices outside of my home trying very hard to get in.

On the other end of the phone Elisa heard my gasp and it just made her even more concerned. "What was that? Sata, what's happening," she said.

I outright went and told Elisa. I said "I don't have much time. Listen Elisa, I don't know how it happened, but it's happened. Father knows about Brooklyn and I, Elisa. He knows everything."

"How is that possible," said Elisa.

"I don't know. Elisa, I swear Brooklyn and I were very careful in trying not to be seen by anyone every time we were out together," I said, panicked.

Elisa tried very hard in our connection to calm me down, but nothing she said to me was even close to working.

"Calm down," I said, voice strained, "how can I calm down when my Otto-san knows everything about my relationship with Brooklyn? What's even worse is that Otto-sans a…" I wasn't able to complete that sentence.

Two Quarrymen that had managed to get into the house jumped forward to grab me. I let out a large scream and the phone dropped from my hand landing on the floor. As one of the Quarrymen was about to grab me I jumped out of his reach and went for anything I could use as a weapon. The closest thing was a frying pan the one I had used to make breakfast that morning. I grabbed the pan and swung it at the Quarrymen. The nearest one ducked down before I could hit him and the other one wasn't even close enough for me to make an impact on.

I was about to swing it again, but that Quarryman grabbed my wrist and stopped me. I tried to pull away, but his grip on my wrist was too strong. The Quarryman twisted my wrist so hard that I squealed in pain and dropped the frying pan. He whipped his arm across my face and knocked me to the floor.

While I was done I could hear more Quarrymen filling into the kitchen and my father moving down the stairs. The phone wasn't that far from me so I could still hear Eliza's voice coming out of it.

"Sata, Sata," she kept saying my name over and over again.

Before I could say anything or even reach toward the phone the Quarrymen behind me grabbed both of my arms and pinned them behind my back. I squeaked in pain, I wasn't strong enough to even stop these guys. When they had my arms pinned they locked them together with a pair of cuffs they had on them.

I heard a shout come from behind the phone. "Sata," Elisa shouted, hearing me cry out.

"Help me," I cried. I yelled this just as the Quarrymen slipped a black bag over my head and tightened the ends of it around my neck.

My plea for help was muffled by the black bag, but Elisa still heard me just fine. She called out to me one more time, saying "Sata!"

When I didn't respond to her voice Elisa went straight into action. She turned to one of her comrades and shouted to him across the room. "Morgan, we've got trouble," she shouted to Officer Morgan.

Elisa quickly explained things to him while leaving out a few things. On their way out Elisa and Officer Morgan gathered up a few more officers and they went running for their patrol cars.

In the meantime back at my place the Quarrymen that had me were now dragging me out of my home. Also, just because I was blinded by the bag didn't mean that I couldn't fight back. I kept slashing out with my legs trying to kick any of Quarrymen around me within reach. I heard a few groans so I knew I had landed some kicks on a few of them. I was trying very hard, but I still couldn't stop them from taking me from the house.

Next thing I knew I was thrown into the back of a truck and footsteps around me as the Quarrymen were getting inside. The last thing I remember was the doors at the back of the truck slamming closed and the truck speeding away before I blacked out from the lack of oxygen inside of the bag.

Not long after that the crops reached my place, but even as they pulled p they knew they had come too late. The Quarrymen who took me were long gone by now.

As soon as they came into sight of my house Elisa's eyes widened in horror. "Oh no," she said.

The scene in front of her and all of the other officers that had come was not a pretty sight to behold.

The front of my house was a mess with the front door broken and the glass of the front window in pieces.

Elisa and the other officers parked their cars right in front of the place and they went right in front of the place and they went straight inside. What they found in there was even worse than what they found outside of the place.

Some of the chairs inside of them main room were turned over including the couch and there was glass from the main window all over the floor.

There was an uncomfortable silence among the officers while they were taking this all in. After a few seconds they broke out of this silence and spread out through the house in order to gather evidence for this case. Some of them went upstairs to look around while others stayed in the main part of the house.

Elisa and Officer Morgan walked around just looking at everything wearing looks of disgust on their faces.

"What do you think happened here," Morgan asked.

Elisa turned to him with a raised eyebrow. "You really have to ask that," she demanded.

Morgan only shrugged, saying "Still, what do you think?"

Elisa took some time before answering him on this one. She knew the reason for everything in front of her, but not everything. She needed to be extremely careful with what she was going to say. She chose very carefully as she spoke. She said "My guess is her father got drunk and made an attempt to attack her again. It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened here."

Elisa and Officer Morgan now came into the houses kitchen. Inside they found an even bigger mess than what they found in the main room. The kitchen table was turned over, a few dishes on the floor, and the phone on the floor far from where it was supposed to be. Literally the entire kitchen was a wreck.

Elisa walked into the middle of the room and kneeled down. Morgan followed her inside, but stayed standing while looking at everything.

Morgan said "Well one things for sure by the look of things the girl put up one hell of a fight though there's one thing that's bugging me."

"What's that," asked Elisa, not taking her eyes off of the scene in front of her.

He said "If her father just attacked then where are they now?"

"Good question, Morgan," she said.

While Morgan had been speaking to her Elisa had been going over certain things in her mind. She had been trying to play over the scene in her head. By now she kind of had a pretty good idea of what might've happened here, but she still couldn't figure out where I was now let alone my father.

Everyone in the house now can most definitely see that there was a struggle, but no one else was in the house beside themselves.

"Where could they be," Elisa asked herself. She got her answer just seconds after she asked herself this question.

Out of nowhere one of the officers from upstairs called down to the rest of them. "I found something," he called down.

This caught the attention of everyone on the first level of the house. Elisa and Officer Morgan immediately left the kitchen to join the others and see what all the commotion was about. Al of them gathered around at the bottom of the stairs as the two others came down the stairs. They were holding objects in their hands.

When Elisa saw what they were holding she felt like she was going to throw up. In their hands the officers were carrying a Quarryman hammer along with one of their hoods.

After a few moments the others there except for Elisa took their attention away from these objects and up at the two other officers.

Officer Morgan asked "Where did you find these?"

"The hammer was lying in the doorway of the attic upstairs. The hood we found on the floor in the man's bedroom," the youngest of the two said.

At hearing this Elisa now knew what I was trying to tell her what my father was on the phone when we were interrupted. When she realized this a look of realization appeared on her face. She said "Oh god, he's a Quarryman."

Elisa said this in a whisper, but Officer Morgan still heard her speak even though he couldn't really catch what she said. "Did you say something," Morgan asked.

Elisa didn't say anything to Morgan or any of the other officers. She turned away from them and went over to the window with her face in her hands. She was careful in not stepping on any of the remaining pieces of broken glass still lying around. She stood there in silence.

The others looked at each other with slightly confused expressions on their faces.

Morgan now took a step toward her. "Elisa," he said, questioningly.

They were all waiting for a response from her.

Finally Elisa spoke, but she was facing the window as she did so. "Call the station tell them there's been a kidnapping. Notify the chief to put all available officers on the lookout for the Quarrymen," she said.

Morgan said "Hold on now we don't know if the Quarrymen were responsible for this."

Now saying this to Elisa was a big mistake. She turned around and faced Officer Morgan with a look of anger on her face. Morgan and some of the other officers actually took a step back when they saw this. She gestured at the scene them along to the Quarryman hammer and hood.

Elisa said "Look around you, Morgan, and tell me this wasn't the work of the Quarrymen. There's more than enough evidence here to point all of this at them."

Her words caused Morgan and some of the other officers there to re-think things for a moment.

Morgan finally came back to the right state of mind about the situation. He turned to one of the other officers next to him. "Call it in, tell them there's been a kidnapping," he said.

The officer nodded and pulled out his walkie-talkie to call it in. Elisa and the rest of the officer returned outside to their patrol cars.

Reporters were now starting to arrive on the scene. This was quite typical because these guys always showed up not long after the cops got involved in something like this. A few of the officers went to hold these guys off and answer their questions while two others went to tape off the area of the house so that no one could interfere with it at all until forensics actually arrived to get a better look inside the place.

Elisa and Officer Moran were talking close together as the two of them were headed over to her car. "Where do you think they took her," Morgan asked.

Elisa let out a sigh, saying "Don't know there are hundreds of places around this city where they could be hiding her."

"Well wherever they are they won't be hiding her for long," Morgan said.

The two of them had now reached Elisa's car. She opened the door and slipped right into the drivers seat.

"Heading back to the station," Morgan asked, leaning against the door.

Shaking her head, Elisa said "I have to go somewhere first. I'll be joining the search after I'm finished with the business I have there which reminds me…" A thoughtful look now appeared on Elisa's face. She looked around until she found what she was looking for. "He, kid!"

The one she called out to turn his head in her direction. It was the young officer who had found the Quarryman hood and was still holding right now. He pointed to himself trying to make sure she was talking to him. When she confirmed this the young officer came over to her and Officer Morgan.

"What is it," he asked.

Elisa held out her hand to him through the window on her side of the car. "Mind giving me the hood," she asked. "I need it for something."

Immediately the officer started protesting as soon as Elisa said this to him. He said "What, no way, you can't have this."

"And why not," questioned Elisa.

"Because it's evidence from this scene and very important to the case," said the officer.

Morgan agreed with him, saying "He's right Elisa, we need the hood as proof."

Elisa wasn't surprised that Morgan actually agreed with the rookie here, but she already had a response ready for his objection. She said "We still have the hammer don't we?"

"Yeah," said the rookie, not really knowing what she was getting at.

"Well then that's all the evidence we need. Everyone knows that the Quarrymen are the only ones who use these types of hammers."

"But the hood could still be useful," said the rookie, insistent.

Officer Morgan stopped him from saying anything else by placing a hand on the rookies shoulder. Morgan let out a sigh, saying "Forget it, rookie, you don't know this girl like I do. Once this woman gets set on something she sticks with it and no one can stop her. She's quite stubborn that way."

A smile was on Morgan's face as he said that. The rookie still had a doubtful look on his face, but he finally gave into it. "All right, take it," the rookie said.

Elisa stretched out her hand a little further through the car window and he young officer dropped the Quarryman hood right into it. "What do you need it for anyway," he asked.

"I have to show it to somebody," she said, putting the hood on the seat next to her.

"Do they know something about the Quarrymen," Officer Morgan asked, interested.

Elisa was prepared for this type of question, too. She said "Maybe, I'll have to ask them to find out." She then started up the car and began to move away. "I'll join you later!" She drove down the street and around a corner.

Morgan patted the rookie on the back, saying "Come on, kid, we've got work to do."

Morgan now started to walk away to speak with those reporters and wait for the forensics team to arrive. With one last glance at where Elisa disappeared the rookie officer followed suit.

Inside of her car and now out of sight of those officers Elisa now had out her cellphone. With her eyes on the road she dialed in a number with one hand and the other on the wheel. Finished with that she now brought the phone up to her ear and listened to it ring just waiting for someone to pick up at the other end and answer her call. It didn't take long for this to happen and when it did it was in a voice that she well recognized.

"Hello," the person said, voice dull.

Elisa recognized ti as belonging to Owen Burnets. She said "Owen."

"Miss Maza," Owen said, dully.

She said "Owen listen to me, I need you to do something for me."

"What is it," Owen asked.

Elisa said "When the guys wake up don't let any of them leave the castle. There's something I need to discuss with them."

"May I ask why," Owen said.

She said "We have a situation, I'll explain everything when I get there. Just don't let them leave."

"Of course," said Owen.

Owen then broke the connection on his end and she did the same to her cellphone. She looked at the time checking the suns position. It was nearly gone so she didn't have much time left before the entire clan woke up from stone sleep. Elisa picked up the speed and raced to the Eyrie Building as fast as she could. She had a job to do and there wasn't any time to waste.


	16. Chapter 16

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 16

Roars filled the air and shattered pieces of stone scattered over the tower. The clan let out big yawns and stretched out their bodies. When he was done stretching Bronx jumped down front his spot on the wall and walked around it tight circles while letting out big woofs. Most of the clan smiled down at Bronx as he was doing this.

Hudson moved beside Bronx and slapped his behind as he went past him. This caused Bronx to stop his circling and come up beside Hudson. When Bronx did Hudson scratched him behind the ears.

"I know you're excited boy," said Hudson. "Don't worry we'll see them soon." Hudson turned his head toward them and the meaning behind what he was saying. "The two of us are going to visit Robinson tonight. He likes to be with his beast Gilly."

Some of the clan understood what Hudson was telling them.

Angela said "That's nice you haven't seen Robinson in a while."

Goliath now stepped forward, saying "It's all right with me Hudson I don't really need you on any patrols tonight."

At the same time Brooklyn, also, spoke up, saying "I really have to go see Sata. She was really nervous last night when I last spoke to her."

"Is it about that contest you spoke of," asked Angela.

Nodding, Brooklyn said "Yeah, see she was afraid she might not win and after she worked so hard on those paintings of hers, too. I have to know whether she won or not."

Goliath nodded at hearing this come from his second. "Go right ahead I'll put you on a patrol when you get back," said Goliath.

Brooklyn smiled, nodded, and moved over to the edge of the tower wall. Just as he was about to jump off of the wall a voice spoke up from behind him and the others.

"I wouldn't leave just yet."

The clan turned around to find Owen standing a little ways behind them.

"Why not," asked Brooklyn.

Owen moved closer until he was standing in the middle of the entire clan. He said "I just got a call from Miss Maza, she's coming here."

"Good if that's all then I'm leaving," said Brooklyn. Once again he went for the wall.

Owen put a stop to that. "Not just yet Miss Maza needs to speak all of you about something," he said.

Lexington said "What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but by the sound of her voice it must be very serious," Owen answered. "So I suggest you all wait for just a little while longer."

Many of the clan looked at each other with uneasy glances, but they didn't give any sign of protesting against Owen's suggestion.

Brooklyn was the only one who actually protested against this. He said "Forget this I'm going." With that before anyone could stop him Brooklyn finally jumped off of the tower wall and away from the castle.

Broadway tried to call him back, but was unsuccessful. "Hey Brook, wait," Broadway called to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn didn't answer back he just kept on going. Goliath was about to order Brooklyn back himself when Desdemona stopped him.

She said "Let him go we can always tell him what Elisa tells us later."

Goliath hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded at his rookery sister in agreement. So then the rest of the clan waited up there with Owen while Brooklyn was flying off into the distance away from them.

While the rest of the clan was waiting Owen called on his own little communicator. After a few minutes of listening to whoever was on the other end he spoke up. He said "Yes, of course, sir. I'll bring them right down."

The clan had watched thing with some interest not knowing who Owen was talking to. Hearing what was said didn't put any doubts to who it was now, Xanatos.

Finished, Owen motioned to the clan. He said "Come, Mr. Xanatos wants us all down in the main hall for this." Without another word he turned and started down the tower.

The clan followed suit keeping up with him.

Down in the main hall David Xanatos and Fox Xanatos were already there with their little son Alexander.

Fox was sitting on the floor playing with her son while Xanatos stood by them looking out a window. They didn't have to wait long before the three of them had some company in there.

Walking into the main hall was Elisa. As soon as she walked in Xanatos immediately got to the point.

"Elisa, what's going on," demanded Xanatos. He never wasted his words.

Elisa said "I'll explain in a little bit. Where are the guys?"

"Owen is bringing them, they should be arriving any minute," Fox said. True to her words Owen and the gargoyles arrived only a few minutes after Fox had spoken this.

Fox stood up with Alexander in her arms and moved closer to her husband. Lexington went straight over to the two of them. Alexander squealed and stretched out his arms toward Lexington.

"Hey, Alex," Lex said, taking Alex into his arms. "You have a good day?"

Alexander giggled as Lexington tickled his tummy and gave Lex an extremely big hug around the neck. Everyone now took comfortable spots around the room and turned all of their attention toward Elisa.

Once everyone was settled Goliath came out and asked the same question Xanatos had asked just a few minutes before. "All right Elisa what's going on," he asked. "Owen said you wanted to talk to us about something."

Nodding, Elisa said "We have a bit of a situation."

"What kind of situation, lass," asked Hudson.

"The bad kind," answered Elisa.

Elisa then went into explaining everything. "Well we all know Brooklyn's girlfriend Sata by now, right," she asked. Almost everyone in the room nodded their heads at her. "I just came from her place and it is a complete wreck. We think she's been kidnapped."

This brought out shocked responses from nearly everyone else in the room with her. "What," they all exclaimed, surprised.

They all then demanded to know what had happened at my home.

"What they hell happened?"

"Tell us everything."

"Details, details."

Elisa held up her hands for silence and then she went on with her story. "A few hours ago while I was at the station. When I answered it I realized it was Sata. She sounded really worried and I could tell that she was definitely in a panic. I found out the reason for this was that her father was attempting to beat her again. This wasn't uncommon with Sata and her father. He practically beats her all the time so I wasn't at all surprised to hear this from her, but I was very surprised when she told me the reason why."

"What was it," Fox asked.

Elisa stopped and looked at everyone's faces. "I don't think…," she said.

Sensing her hesitation Goliath moved over and put his hands on her shoulders. "Elisa tell us please," he said.

Elisa let out a sigh, shaking her head. "All right I'll tell you the rest, but I warn you you're not going to like what you hear," she said.

Goliath said "We can take it."

"All right," she said.

Elisa now told them the rest of the story she had come to tell. 'The reason why her father attacked her so suddenly is because he somehow found out about the relationship she has with Brooklyn."

This got shocked looks out of everyone there.

"Impossible, that can't be it," said Broadway.

Angela said "Broadways right Brooklyn assured us that he and Sata were always extremely careful in not being seen every time they went out together. There's no way they could've gotten caught."

"Be that as it may they were still caught and now Sata is greatly paying the price for it," said Elisa.

"What do you mean," Othello asked.

Elisa paused for a moment and then answered Othello's question. "The Quarrymen have taken her," she said.

Hearing this put them all into an even bigger silence until Hudson with the one who finally broke it. "Elisa, how can you be sure it was the Quarrymen that took the lass," Hudson asked.

Elisa reached behind her and pulled something out of one of her back pockets. She then held it out for everyone else to see. When they saw it the clan took in deep breaths. Elisa was holding up the Quarryman hood she had found at the house.

She said "I found this at the scene along with one of their hammers. The other officers are in possession of the hammer right now, but I managed to take this before I left them back there. This hood and hammer are all the evidence we need to point this case at the Quarrymen."

Goliath and some of the other gargoyles now let out low growls. Goliath said "We'll catch them they won't get away with this."

"One more thing there's something else you should know. Sata's father is a Quarryman, too. She couldn't tell me on the phone because she never got the chance. I put two and two together once I saw all of the evidence," said Elisa.

Xanatos could see what Elisa was getting at. He was nodding in understanding of her words. He said "Yes, it all makes sense now. Somehow a Quarryman must've seen them sometime in the night and reported to the others. When that happened her father must've found out then."

Hearing this the others could now see that Xanatos's explanation made perfect sense to the situation. The others were in agreement with what Xanatos had said.

Hudson said "If the Quarrymen have the lass it will not be easy to find her."

"We know that, Hudson," said Goliath. "We just have to find the girl for Brooklyn's sake."

The clan agreed with their leader.

Elisa now realized that someone was missing from the group. She turned in every direction, but she couldn't see Brooklyn anywhere with them. "Where's Brooklyn," she asked.

Lexington was the one who answered her while gently rocking little Alexander. He said "Brook left not long before you came. He said he was going to see Sata."

A worried expression came upon Elisa's face. "That's not good," she said. "There are still plenty of policemen and reporters there. He could be seen."

Angela said "One of us should go get him before he gets into trouble."

This entire time Goliath had been standing next to Elisa with a thoughtful look on his face for the past few seconds. Seeing this his rookery brother Othello moved over to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother," said Othello, questioningly. Doing this Othello managed to regain Goliath's attention.

Goliath looked at his rookery brother and then went into action. Turning to his clan, he said "All right I'll go after Brooklyn. The rest of you split up into separate groups and start searching the city. If any of you find a Quarryman stop him and get as much information as you can out of him."

"Got it," said the clan. They sorted themselves into groups before their departure.

Hudson was scratching Bronx's back. He said "Looks like we won't be seeing Robinson just yet, boy." There was an inch of sadness in Hudson's voice as he said this to the gargoyle beast. Felling Hudson's sadness Bronx licked his face in order to comfort the old gargoyle.

The groups for the search parties tonight were now set. Hudson and Bronx made up one of these groups. Othello and Desdemona made up another. Then there were Broadway, Angela, and Lexington. If Brooklyn was there at the time then he and Lexington would've made a fourth group but since he wasn't Lex was stuck with the two love birds.

Once the search teams were assembled Goliath spoke to them one last time. He said "All right everybody head out, but remember be very careful we don't want anyone else being captured."

"He's right," said Elisa. "Don't forget this could be a trap to capture one of guys so watch your backs."

Hudson said "Not to worry you two we'll all be fine." Hudson jumped out of one of the large windows in the main hall with Bronx hanging from his arms.

The other search parties followed suit and they all separated going out in different directions.

Inside the main hall the rest of them were now making their own preparations.

Goliath turned to the ones who now remained with him. He said "I'd better go, too. Brooklyn needs to know what's going on. I have to catch him before he gets too far."

Nodding, Elisa said "I should be heading out, too. I should've joined the search parties an hour ago with the other officers. Nearly every cop on the force is out there looking for the Quarrymen tonight."

Xanatos said "I may be able to help with this."

"That won't be necessary," Elisa said, but Xanatos insisted.

Xanatos said "No, no I'll put my own agents down on the streets to gather information."

"As I said before nearly every officer is out in the city looking for them," Elisa said.

Xanatos retorted "That still doesn't mean you won't miss something. Besides you might need the kind of outside information I can get for you."

Elisa couldn't argue with that. Shrugging, Elisa admitted defeat "Do what you want."

A satisfied smile appeared on Xanatos's face. He then gave his wife and son each a kiss and he left the main hall to get straight to work.

"I may, also, be able to be of some assistance."

Attention in the room now turned over to Owen.

"What do you have in mind," Fox asked, holding Alex.

Owen said "I think I know a faster way to find the girl."

Now this definitely got their undivided attention.

"What's your idea," asked Elisa.

Owen said "I was planning on teaching young Alexander some new spells tonight during his lessons tonight. One of them was going to be a finding spell."

"A finding spell," asked Elisa.

"Yes, I believe using a finding spell would be most effective in this situation," answered Owen.

"It would make things a lot easier," Goliath said.

Owen said "The spell will only work if I have something of Miss Sagara's to track her down with."

"I'll find Brooklyn and we'll get something from the girl's house. Once that's done we'll return back here and give whatever we find to you," said Goliath.

Nodding, Owen said "Young Alexander and I will prepare the spell while you are gone."

Owen disappeared in a puff of smoke and in his place floated the form of Puck. With a big smile on his face Puck floated over to Fox and Alexander.

"Unca Puck," said Alex, delighted with his arms stretched out toward his teacher.

When Puck was close Fox held her son out to him and put Alexander in the tricksters' arms. Alex wrapped his arms around the tricksters' neck and gave him a big hug.

Puck chuckled and chucked his charge under the chin. "All right, my boy, time to get to work."

Puck snapped his fingers and the two of them disappeared from the main hall and appeared in Alex's nursery to prepare. Fox left to join her husband in order to help him out.

During the exchange with Puck and Fox Goliath had moved over to the largest window closest to him with Elisa following him close behind.

She said "It's about time I joined the search parties. I'm going to go check out the downtown district. See if anyone knows anything down there."

"Contact us if you find anything. You know how to call us," said Goliath, pointing to the small communicator he now wore around his neck.

Pointing to her cellphone, Elisa said "Not to worry I'll call you as soon as I get something."

"And we'll do the same for you," said Goliath.

Elisa said "Oh and one more thing." She reached into one of her coat pockets and took out a pen along with a small piece of paper. She quickly wrote something down on it and handed it over to Goliath. "Here."

Goliath took it and looked at what she wrote down. "What's this," he asked.

"The girls address," answered Elisa, "trust me you'll need it to find where she lives. Be very careful Goliath there may still be some officers and reporters left there. If you need to go inside then wait until they're gone." Her tone of voice was quite serious as she said this to him.

"Thanks, Elisa," said Goliath, "and don't worry we'll be all right."

Elisa moved forward and gave him a kiss. "See you soon, big guy," she said, softly. She then ran out of the main hall at the same time Goliath jumped out through the window.

Goliath glided straight in the direction that Brooklyn had gone in a while before.

Once she left the main hall in the castle Elisa headed over to her car. Elisa passed Fox again on her way down, but he didn't speak this time. This was good because Elisa didn't have any more time to hang around and talk anymore. Once in her car Elisa immediately started up the engine. As she was driving she got a call on her radio.

"Detective, Detective Maza, are you there?" She recognized the voice belonging to Officer Morgan.

Elisa picked up the speaker she had attached to the police radio in her car and answered his call. "Yeah, Morgan I'm here," she said.

Morgan said "Finally, I thought you would never answer."

"Sorry, Morgan," apologized Elisa.

"Where were you I've been calling every few minutes," asked Morgan.

Elisa said "I told you I had somewhere to be. Don't worry I'm finished now."

"So what did your contact say," asked Morgan.

Elisa had her answer ready for this kind of question. "Unfortunately, they didn't have much to tell me and the stuff they gave me we already know," she answered.

Morgan was really disappointed by this. He said "Damn it we really need information."

"Don't worry we'll get it. Have you guys had any luck yet," she asked.

"No, nothing," said Morgan, regretfully.

Elisa said "I'm heading over to the downtown area. I think I may be able to find something out there."

"Mind if I join you," asked Morgan. "You might need some backup."

Elisa said "No thanks, Morgan, I think I'll be all right."

"You sure," Morgan asked, trying to make sure.

Elisa quickly reassured her fellow officer, saying "Yeah, I'm sure I'll call you if I need any help."

"Morgan out," said Officer Morgan.

"Elisa out," she said.

Morgan and Elisa then cut off contact with each other. Once out of contact Elisa turned her car around at first chance and headed straight for downtown New York where the entire ghetto lived.

Brooklyn honestly couldn't wait to see me again tonight. He was anxious to find out how things had turned out for me at the art contest this day. Unfortunately for Brooklyn he wasn't going to like what he found at my house. After Brooklyn left his entire clan at the castle it took him about then to fifteen minutes to get to my place while riding on the fastest winds.

Brooklyn felt quite relieved when he caught sight of my small house a distance ahead of him. This happy atmosphere of his quickly disappeared when he got a closer look at what he was seeing. Brooklyn couldn't really get a clear view at what was in front of him. He squinted his eyes a little to try and get a clearer view. What Brooklyn saw next made his heart drop into his stomach and a very frightened look appeared on his face.

"Oh no," he whispered, horrified.

Now that he was closer Brooklyn could see the few patrol cars and the police talking to some reporters in front of the house. Yellow tape was wrapped around the border of the house keeping intruders from going inside.

Knowing that it wasn't safe to go near the place right now with all of those other people there so he decided to land in a different spot that he usually would. He was still close to the house where he could see everything that was happening at my place. It was the top of a five story rundown apartment building that was not to far away. Once Brooklyn landed on the roof of the apartment building he went straight over to the side that faced my little house and just stood there staring at the scene in front of him. Right now Brooklyn had eyes only for this.

"What the hell happened here," whispered Brooklyn, asking himself.

Brooklyn so desperately wanted to go inside to find out what was going on, but he knew that he couldn't go inside with all of these other people around at the time. Brooklyn had no choice, but to just stand up there and wait for the chance when he could. Turns out Brooklyn had a very long wait until this actually happened.

Brooklyn was patient most of the time just waiting in the shadows on the rooftop for them to leave. During this time from his position Brooklyn could see that there were not only people standing outside the front of the house, but inside as well. Some were standing around inside the kitchen talking, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

Brooklyn couldn't see me inside or outside of the house and this made him very worried indeed. The realization of this just made him even more anxious. He kept on telling himself that I was either up inside the attic or my room waiting for me to come out while trying to push his fear away from him.

Finally to Brooklyn's relief the cops and reporters inside and surrounding the house started to leave.

"It's about time," Brooklyn said.

The reporters were the ones to leave first and the cops when to follow them. At the same time he jumped off of the rooftop and glided the rest of the way over to the house. He landed silently on top of the attic. Brooklyn was about to slip through the window when he heard talking coming from the front of the house. Hearing it Brooklyn went to check it out, but he kept himself flat on the attic as he crawled back toward the front. Once there he peaked his head around the corner and saw the ones he had heard. It seemed that one of the officers and a forensic expert hadn't left the place just yet. Now that he was closer Brooklyn could hear them just fine.

"…for sure the girl definitely put up a fight. She didn't go easily."

"The ones who took her certainly knew what they were doing," said the forensics expert. "The only fingerprints I could find belonged to the girl's father. There weren't any fingerprints belonging to anyone else. God I really hope that girl is all right."

"You and me both," said the officer.

With that the officer and forensics expert went over to the guy's patrol car and drove away following the others. When these two were out of sight Brooklyn then entered the house.

Brooklyn slipped in through the attic window and closed it behind him. He then went for the attic door and after taking a few steps he saw that it was already opened. To be more to the point it was crashed open and knocked onto the floor. Walking through the doorway Brooklyn just stepped around the broken door and then went for the stairs. On his way over to them Brooklyn passed by my room and when eh did he quickly took a look inside to see if I was there or not. Seeing that I wasn't Brooklyn kept on toward the stairs.

When Brooklyn reached them he paused up there for a second. To be honest he was afraid to go down there he feared what he would find. After a few seconds he got up the courage and slowly went down the stairs while acting very cautious as he did so.

When Brooklyn reached the bottom of the stairs his heart almost dropped out of his chest at what he found. What he saw was the exact same thing the police had found when they first came here. The place was a complete mess.

Glass was still covering a section of the floor, chairs were turned over, and as he walked though saw that many things had been moved. He couldn't see any empty beer bottles or smokes anywhere in the room. He suspected that the cops had either thrown them away or taken them away for examination for whatever happened. Brooklyn did have a few theories as to what did happen.

After a few moments of just staring Brooklyn went into the kitchen to see what it was like in there. He really shouldn't have done that.

The kitchen was worse than the other room. The table had been hit by something and knocked in half. Some of the kitchen chairs were knocked over and one of the pans I had used for cooking was on the floor.

Before Brooklyn entered my home he was afraid and tried to prepare himself for what he would find. Only this and the scene in the other room was more than he could take right now.

Brooklyn had to use one of his hands to hang onto the side of the counter so that he wouldn't fall. Brooklyn covered his face with his other hand. He now tried to get his breathing under control and regain his composure.

"What's happened," he asked no one in particular. Brooklyn didn't expect to get a response out of anyone, but he did.

"I can tell you that."

Brooklyn knew that voice.

Brooklyn's head snapped up and he looked toward the doorway in surprise. Goliath was standing right in the middle of it. These two stood there staring at each other for a few seconds

Sighing, Brooklyn asked "This is what Elisa wanted to tell us isn't it?"

Nodding, Goliath said "Yes, Elisa told us the entire story. You left before she could say anything."

"Now I see why she wanted us all together," said Brooklyn. "How did you find this place anyway?"

To answer his question Goliath held up a small piece of paper he had in his hand. "Elisa gave me the address," he said.

"Thought as much," said Brooklyn. How'd you get in?"

"The attic window upstairs," answered Goliath.

"What did Elisa say, Goliath," asked Brooklyn.

Goliath then told Brooklyn everything Elisa had told him and the others. Brooklyn listened silently the entire time Goliath was speaking to him. When Goliath got to telling Brooklyn it was the Quarrymen that took me he nearly lost control. Brooklyn fell back against the counter and his breathing became very hard. Brooklyn was very scared, but angry at the same time.

"Brooklyn," said Goliath, taking a step forward and clearly seeing the distress on Brooklyn's face. Brooklyn held out a hand to Goliath telling him to stop so he stayed where he was.

Brooklyn calmed himself down and his breathing went back to normal. Once this happened Brooklyn spoke up again, but it was still in a strained voice.

Goliath said "We're not sure. Elisa thinks that a Quarryman may have seen you two somewhere around the city."

Shaking his head, Brooklyn said "No, that can't be right, Sata and I were very careful not to be seen every time we went out together.

Goliath said "Careful or not you were found out either way."

"What is the reason the police think they took Sata," asked Brooklyn.

Goliath said "Elisa said they think it's mostly because she's a gargoyle sympathizer. The police are sticking with that."

Brooklyn now let out a big puff of air he had been holding in for that. "That's good," he said. There was some silence for a few moments and then Brooklyn came out with it again. "It's my entire fault."

"No, it's not," said Goliath.

"Yes it is," said Brooklyn, "if Sata weren't my girlfriend she wouldn't be in this mess."

"Listen to me Brooklyn this is not your fault," said Goliath. "Neither of you knew that something like this would happen."

"Maybe you're right," said Brooklyn, "but I still feel guilty."

"Then don't," said Goliath, roughly. "Sata needs you now Brooklyn so you just can't stand around the entire night feeling sorry for yourself."

This seemed to break Brooklyn out of his guilty conscience so he shook himself out of it. He pulled himself back together. Brooklyn said "You're right Goliath I don't really know what I was thinking. So where are the others anyway?"

"They're out in the city searching for your friend. Elisa has officer searching all over the place for her and the Quarrymen that took her," answered Goliath.

"They could be anywhere," said Brooklyn. "There are so many places in this city where they could be hiding her. It could be weeks before we find anything. Oh, I wish there was a faster way of finding them."

"There may be a way," said Goliath.

Brooklyn's head snapped straight back toward Goliath when this was said. "What do you mean," Brooklyn asked.

Goliath then told Brooklyn about Owen's idea. "Puck thinks that using a finding spell would be far more affective in finding them. He and Alexander are preparing the spell back at the castle," he said.

Brooklyn's eyes immediately lit up when he heard this. He said "Then what are we waiting for let's go."

"Not just yet," said Goliath.

"Why not," asked Brooklyn.

"Puck said the spell would only work if we have something of the girl's to act as a beacon to find her," said Goliath.

Brooklyn said "That won't be hard her room is just upstairs."

Saying this Brooklyn went back up the stairs with Goliath following behind him. These two didn't have far to go since my room was actually close by the stairs.

Reaching my bedroom Brooklyn immediately went inside and started looking around for anything useful to use for the spell.

While Brooklyn was looking Goliath just stood in the doorway waiting for him to finish staring at everything. Goliath actually spotted of a young girl on the nightstand. Looking closer at the photograph Goliath realized that the girl in the picture was Sata. Sata Sagara, me, the young girl he had been hearing so much about lately. He had to admit to himself that the girl was quite good looking, too.

Even though my room was filled with stuff that belonged to me Brooklyn still had a hard time finding something good enough to use for the finding spell. Every time he thought he found something good enough he kept putting it back feeling unsure about it. Finally after a good handful of minutes Brooklyn did actually find something. He was just going over whether my sketchbook was the object they should use when he spotted a small frame standing on the top of the dresser. Brooklyn moved over to it and got a look at the small photograph inside.

Inside the photograph were two people. One of them was a tall young woman who looked to be in her late twenties while holding an infant baby and smiling at the camera.

At first Brooklyn mistook the young woman as me, but on closer inspection he realized who it actually was. The woman in the picture was my mother and the little baby she was holding was in fact me. Right then and there Brooklyn knew that this picture was what was going to be taking with him.

At the same moment Goliath called to Brooklyn from the doorway. "Find anything yet," Goliath asked.

Brooklyn said "Yes, got it right here." Brooklyn took the picture from where it was on the dresser and went back into the hallway to rejoin Goliath.

Once inside the hallway Brooklyn showed the picture to Goliath. "This is what I found," he said.

Goliath took the picture from Brooklyn and took a look at it. After a few moments Goliath handed the frame back over to Brooklyn. "Seems suitable enough," he said.

Brooklyn smiled and the two of them headed upstairs to the attic. Once up there Brooklyn and Goliath moved right over to the window. Brooklyn opened the window and looked out first to see if anyone was about. Seeing that it was safe Brooklyn signaled to Goliath and the two of them jumped out and started gliding off back toward the castle. Brooklyn was carrying the picture frame under one of his arms.

Back at the castle Puck and Alexander were still working out that finding spell of theirs. Well Puck was working on it and Alexander was just playing around him. Puck was flipping through magic books upside down in the air while Alexander while flying around him giggling with his magic. Puck smiled at his charge and flipped back right side up.

Motioning to Alex, Puck said "Come here, my boy. I want to show you something."

Alex stopped flying around in circles and obediently floated over to his teacher. "What is it, Uncle Puck," Alexander asked in his tiny voice.

Puck took Alex into his lap once the boy was close enough. When he did Puck motioned with his finger toward some of the many books floating around them. Just like Alex did before the books Puck wanted obediently came over to him with their pages opened.

Pointing to one book in particular, Puck said "Right here, my boy, tell me what you see."

Alexander looked hard ay what his teacher was pointing to, but he was still too young to make out the words on the pages yet. So instead he looked at the large picture there to try and figure things out. Alex tried to answer as best as he could in his little baby voice.

"Magic ball of light and flames," said Alex.

Puck said "That's right kiddo magic light and flames."

The illustration Puck had pointed at was one of wizards working and fulfilling a spell. Inside the illustration a wizard was sitting inside a drawn out pentagram surrounded by a circle of lit candles. The wizard's hands were together as if he was in meditation. The wizard was focusing his magic on an object floating in front of him surrounded in a ball of light containing some of his magic.

It seems that this was the finding spell Puck had in mind for tonight's lesson and for locating me.

"This is going to be your lesson tonight, young master," said Puck, eyes twinkling. "Can you guess what it is?"

Alex said "A sumning spell." Alex meant to say summoning spell, but since he was still a toddler his words came out a little mixed up.

"That's not actually it, but you were close," said Puck. "We're going to use it to try and find someone tonight. Now then let's prepare the incantation."

With a wave of his hand Puck made all of the books around him disappear back into the library except for the one that they needed. Then Puck made some chalk and candles appear in front of them. The two of them now went to finish their preparations and Puck kept reading the instructions for the spell so the two of them wouldn't make any mistakes. The candles were placed in a large circle in the middle of the nursery.

Alex was having some fun using the chalk to draw the pentagram when there was a knock on the nursery door.

"Enter," Puck said.

The door opened and in the doorway stood Fox. "Goliath is back and Brooklyn's with him," she said.

Puck said "Well then send them in." Nodding, Fox went to go get the two gargoyles where she had left them.

When Puck was gone Puck floated down to where Alex was on the floor drawing the pentagram. "Did you hear that, my boy," said Puck, "company is coming."

"Gargoyles," asked Alexander.

"Yes, gargoyles," Puck answered, grinning.

Alex laughed, clapping his hands together in delight, saying "Yeah!" Alex then went back to drawing the pentagram with Puck helping him this time fixing up certain spots.

Not long after this Fox came back into the nursery, but this time Goliath and Brooklyn were with her along with her husband Xanatos.

"Is the spell ready yet," Brooklyn asked.

Puck didn't look up from what he was doing with Alexander. He said "Almost we just need to finish this."

At the same moment Alex finished drawing the last section of the pentagram. This done Puck left Alexander on the floor while he floated over to the other four.

Puck said "The spell is ready."

"Is all of this necessary," asked Goliath, pointing to what Puck had been working.

Puck motioned to the spell book and it speed right over to them. He said "Yes, it is." Puck pointed to the illustration and instructions he and Alexander had been using. "As you can see this spell is quite complicated and takes some time to prepare. There's a lot of stuff that needs to be done for this to work which reminds me…"

Puck now turned his attention over to Brooklyn. "I assume Goliath told you that you need something of the girls for this to succeed," he said.

Brooklyn said "Yes, I've already gotten something of hers from her house."

"Hand it over," said Puck, moving closer to Brooklyn, holding out his hand.

Brooklyn took the picture frame from under his arm and handed it to the trickster.

Puck tapped his chin, pretending to examine the picture inside with mock seriousness. After a few seconds Puck looked away from the picture of my mother and me and back at Brooklyn.

"I'm guessing this photograph is something your girl really cares about," Puck asked.

In confirmation Brooklyn nodded, saying "By what Sata has told me in the past anything of her mother's is very dear to her."

Satisfied with the answer Brooklyn had given him Puck now floated back to Alexander with the others following behind him.

Xanatos had taken the book from where it was in the air and reading the instructions for the spell. At one point while he was reading Xanatos looked up from the page and a slight look of confusion came onto his face. He noticed that something was missing. He looked around for a moment to see if he was mistaken, but he wasn't.

Speaking to Puck, Xanatos asked "Where's the potion?" Everyone was now looking on with curiosity as Xanatos showed Puck what he was referring to. "It says there's a potion here on the bottom of the page."

Trying to act funny Puck pulled out a pair of reading glasses somewhere on his person and placed them on his nose. Pretending that he needed these in order to read. Alex giggled when he saw these on his teacher. Puck read the spot that talked about the potion.

After a few seconds Puck nodded his head, saying "Yes it seems I did somehow miss this." The reading glasses disappeared with a poof off of his face.

"What's this potion for and why do we need it? We should just start the spell right now," Brooklyn said, getting impatient.

Puck shook his head, saying "I'm afraid we can't get started until I get this potion ready. We need it to activate the spell."

"Why would it take so long to make," demanded Brooklyn.

"It wouldn't take long at all if I had all of the ingredients here with me," said Puck.

Brooklyn said "What ingredients are you missing? We'll get it for you."

"I need a lock of her hair. If we add the hair to the potion it'll increase the strength of the spell and our chances of finding her," said Puck.

After hearing this a look of distress appeared on Brooklyn's face. "The Quarrymen have her," he stated. We can't get any of Sata's hair with her with them and we were just at her house."

"Looks like you're going to have to go back," said Fox.

Goliath said "We may not have to."

Everyone now turned toward him.

"What do you mean, Goliath," asked Brooklyn.

Goliath pushed back his wing covering up a pouch on the belt of his loincloth. He opened it up, put his hand in, and pulled something out. When Goliath did this he really surprised them especially Brooklyn. What Goliath was holding in his hand were a few strands of my hair.

Brooklyn went right up to Goliath and held ou his hand for those strands of hair. "Where did you get these," he asked.

Turning his attention toward his second, Goliath said "At the house, while you were searching around in the girl's room, I spotted a brush with some hair on the bed. Just in case what you picked out wasn't suitable for the conditions of the spell I decided to take those strands and put them into my pouch."

"It's a good thing you did otherwise you would've had to gone back there and wasted even more time," said Xanatos.

Nodding Puck snapped his fingers and the hair disappeared from Goliaths hand while reappearing into his own. "This is good, this is very good," he said, turning to his charge. "Now Alexander and I can make the potion in no time."

Puck then snapped his fingers again and all of the ingredients he needed for the potion along with a small bowl appeared. He and Alex then went quickly to work making that potion of theirs. It didn't take them very long at all. With all of the magic between these two it took less than half an hour for them to make it. By the end of that time the last ingredient remain the strands of my hair.

"Now then the final ingredient," Puck said. He held his hand over the potion bowl and dropped the strands of hair right into it. When this happened there was a big bang and everyone, but Puck and Alex jumped back because of it. Nodding in satisfaction, Puck said "There it's done."

Alex copied his teacher, nodding in the same way. "It's done," Alex said in his tiny voice, words a bit mixed. He didn't really pronounce the words correctly when he spoke.

"So the spell will work now," Brooklyn asked, eagerly.

"Yes," answered Puck, "we'll have no problems now."

With the potion ready Puck took the bowl, put it to the side, and took the frame from under his arm. He then put the photograph of my mother and me into the middle of the drawn out pentagram along with the circle of candles. As Puck did this Alex helped out by lighting up the surrounding candles with his own magic.

Looking toward the other four in the room, Puck said, mischievously "You might want to step back unless you want your eyebrows burnt off."

Xanatos, Fox, Goliath, and Brooklyn stepped back without a word of protest coming out of them. Puck may be a trickster, but they knew very well to listen to his warnings when they were given.

Picking up Alex, Puck put him in his lap. "You ready, my boy," Puck said, voice cheery.

Alex nodded his head vigorously showing Puck that he was ready.

The trickster grinned, saying "Let's do it."

Puck and Alexander took a handful of the powder from the bowl which was the potion. Once this was done these two blew their handfuls of powder into the circle of candles. At first to everyone in the room they saw the powder floating around in the air for a few seconds. Then suddenly the flames of the candles grew bigger and another thing was that the picture inside the flames really started to glow.

At this exact moment Puck and Alexander slipped inside the circle of candles. They settled down in a pretzel style position on the floor. They put their hands together as if they were in meditation just like the illustration inside of the spell book which was now gone. It disappeared back into the library with the other magic books from before.

Once inside the pentagram Puck started to utter the incantation for the finding spell under his breath. Alexander immediately did the same as soon as his teacher started to speak it. It seems that Puck had managed o teach Alexander how to say the incantation before their visitors had arrived inside of the nursery. The photograph started to glow even brighter and the candles moved their flames even higher. A ball of light appeared around the photograph and made it float in the air about two feet in front of them.

The other four had been watching everything quietly and patiently the entire time.

Right now Brooklyn couldn't really take standing there anymore. Taking a few steps forward, he asked "So how long do you think it'll be until you find something?"

Puck didn't respond at all. He was sitting in that circle with Alex high in concentration with his magic.

Brooklyn didn't like being ignored. "Hey, I'm talking to you," said Brooklyn, angrily.

Brooklyn was about to put his hand over the candles to touch Puck, but Goliath put his hand on his arm to stop him. "No, Brooklyn," he said.

Brooklyn said "But Goliath…"

"But Goliath nothing you cannot break their concentration or else you will disrupt the spell," said Goliath. Reluctantly, Brooklyn pulled his hand away and brought it back to his side. "We're heading out."

Turning to Fox and Xanatos, Goliath said "You'll call us if something is found?"

Fox and Xanatos both nodded their heads. "If these two find something we'll tell you right away," Xanatos said.

Turning back toward his second, Goliath said "Come, Brooklyn." With that Goliath walked out of the nursery with Brooklyn following him still having that reluctant expression on his face.

When Goliath and Brooklyn reached the courtyard they went for the closest of the castle walls to take off on.

As they were doing this Goliath now noticed the worried look on his clan mate's face. Putting a hand on Brooklyn's shoulder, he said "Don't worry, Brooklyn, we'll find her."

Brooklyn smiled at his leader, but it was an unconvinced smile. The two of them then took off. Brooklyn was hoping, praying that I was all right. Brooklyn, honestly couldn't have been further from the truth.

**Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 17

I honestly didn't know how long I was out for. Even though I wasn't actually awake it seemed like forever to me. I was scared and I didn't know what was going to happen to me. All I could think about was what these guys might do to me. When all of us reached out destination I had a very rude awakening from them.

One of the Quarrymen, I don't know if it was my Otto-san or not, gave me a very strong kick in the stomach. It wasn't too painful, but it hurt just the same. I let out a gasp and curled my legs up close to my stomach.

"Get up," someone growled.

I tried to, but without the use of my hands to help me I kept on falling down on my face. Eventually, after a few falls, someone grabbed me roughly by the arm and pulled me up to my feet. I heard the truck door open and a gust of cold air hit me head on. As soon as it hit me my body started shivering with the cold. I wasn't wearing my coat so I had nothing to protect me from it.

Quarrymen were jumping out of the truck and then I was pulled out too. Once I was out I heard someone different from the others talking with my father not too far away.

"Your mission was successful," asked the new person.

"Yes, see for yourself," Otto-san answered.

The Quarryman my father was talking to give me a long hard look and then gave a small nod. He said "Very good Castaway want to interrogate her personally. This way."

The Quarryman and my father turned around and started to walk away. My Otto-san motioned to the others with him and they all started to follow the other while dragging me along with them.

I knew when we entered inside a building because the air around me suddenly got a little warmer and I was able to stop shivering. These guys hadn't taken the black bag off of my head yet so I couldn't see, but I could hear perfectly fine. While I was being led about I could hear voices coming from all around me. Most of them were men, but I was surprised to hear that some of them were women. After a few minutes the group I was with came to a stop. For a few seconds I heard some kept jingling together and not long after that I heard something unlock and I soon figured out it led to a room.

Faster than I had realized the door had opened and I was pushed inside, but not before the black bag was taken from my head. The shove they gave me was so hard that I fell down onto my knees as soon as I went in. I turned and saw my father along with a masked Quarryman standing beyond the door. All of the others had gone. I couldn't see the other man's face, but I could tell how he was feeling when he spoke to me.

The Quarryman said "Hope you enjoy your stay here, Miss Sagara. You'll be staying here quite a while. Our master will be seeing you shortly."

At this exact moment I tried to run, but the exit door was slammed in my face by my Otto-san before I could even get close to it. I tried to turn the doorknob before, but that Quarryman used the keys on the other side to lock it before I could.

The laughter of the Quarryman and my Otto-san at my efforts to get out faded as they moved away from where I was. I tried turning the knob a few more times along with slamming against the door with my shoulder trying to break it down. The door wouldn't budge at all.

Frustrated I slammed my fists against the door and let out an angry shriek. "Let me out of here, let me out!"

No one answered me and I could certainly not hear anyone outside coming my way. Realizing I was going to be stuck in here for a while I decided to have a look around the place. It was a medium sized room, the walls were made out of gray blocks of stone, and were completely bare. Except for me there wasn't anything else in the room, not even a chair or small bed to lay on. It was really dark except for some light coming in through a small window all the way in the back. The window was small, but it still gave me enough light to see in the dark. I went over to the window to get a look around and receive the general idea of where I was. I was in for a little surprise.

Looking out I couldn't see any of the usual buildings I saw inside of the city. Instead I found a lot more trees and smaller buildings in front of me. This got me a little confused. If I wasn't in New York City then where was I? After thinking it over I managed to figured out where I was. Long Island, right next to the city and only an hour away from it. No wonder it felt like I was in that truck for so long.

I shook the bars in the window to see if they would break. No luck there at all the bars were well sealed in place. There was no way I was going to be able to move those on my own without help. Besides even if I was able to move them I wouldn't be able to drop down without breaking something. It was a three story drop from where I was.

I let out a groan and slid into a sitting position under the window. With the barren walls and bars in the windows the room I was in looked like a prison cell and trust me it did feel like I was in a prison. I started thinking about everything that was left behind in New York. My friends, my most treasured possessions, and most of all Brooklyn. Thinking of all of this the weight of everything was starting to fall on top of me. It was too much for me to handle and I started to cry. I tried to hold in the sobs that threatened to escape from my throat, but I just couldn't.

I didn't know how long I sat there under the window crying. I was just pulling myself back together when I suddenly started to hear the door unlock. Not wanting Otto-san or any of those Quarrymen to see me in this state I quickly wiped the tears off of my face trying to get ready for whoever was at the door. Right when I was finished the door opened and I saw the person on the other side.

Inside the doorway stood a tall man of medium build and under the suit I could tell that he had a muscular body. I couldn't see his face because he was facing away from the light and as I said before it was very dark in the room.

"Miss Sagara, we meet at last," he said.

When this guy spoke I noticed that he had a Scottish accent in there mixed in with an American one.

I looked at this man curiously. "Do I know you," I asked.

Chuckling, he said "You don't know me, but I certainly know you." I detected a bit of a sneer in his voice as he said this to me.

A frown appeared on my face when I heard it there.

The man walked out of the darkness and moved into the light. When he did I finally saw his face. He had blond hair smoothed back and a small mustache that was exactly the same color. The most important detail about him was the cold black eyes staring straight at me.

It was this quality that allowed me to realize who he was and when I did my eyes widened in shock. The shock quickly left my face and the frown deepened instead. "Castaway," I said in disgust.

The sneer deepened and his eyes grew even colder. "So you do know me," he said.

I said "How could I not? Your face in on every wanted poster in the city. The police have been after you for months."

"And what a terrific job they've been doing of that," said Castaway, coldly.

I realized that Castaway and I weren't the only ones in the room at the time. While the two of us had been talking three other Quarrymen managed to slip quietly into the room and close the cell door behind them. One of them I recognized immediately.

Otto-san came up to stand beside Castaway. In the light I could see that he was wearing his full Quarryman uniform except for the hood. One of the other two Quarrymen too came to stand in the middle of Otto-san and Castaway while the other came to stand at the other side of their leader. These two both had their hoods off.

Like I had with my father I recognized these two at once. I jumped straight up to my feet when this happened. "You," I shouted.

Smiling, Castaway said "I see you know these two."

"We've meet before," I said, eyes narrowed.

Castaway said "Let me formerly introduce you then, Miss Sagara. This is George Harrison, my right hand man," Castaway gestured toward the Quarryman on his left, "and this is his brother Richard Harrison." He then pointed to the man on his left in between himself and my Otto-san.

"I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, but I'd be lying," I said, smugly.

George Harrison scowled and rubbed the back of his head. He said "I've been meaning to pay you back properly for that injury on the head you gave me."

"That really hurt you. You're welcome for that. I only wish I'd hit you harder," I said. My manner turned from being kind to being cold. "Castaway's right hand man huh, I'm not impressed."

George said "didn't expect you to be."

I turned my gaze away from him and over to his brother, Richard. Looking into Richards face I saw that he was actually a bit uncomfortable with the situation.

I said, outright "Angela would be very disappointed in you."

That definitely touched a nerve in him, but he didn't speak up. Richard just shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably with a hammer in his hand. After a few seconds he did say something.

Richard said "No she wouldn't I'm doing this for her. Angela would be proud of what I'm doing."

"You're wrong about that," I said.

Jumping into the conversation, Castaway said "Enough of this tell us what you know about the gargoyles."

I didn't say anything to that and kept my mouth shut. My eyes flicked toward him for a second, but then I turned my head away not saying a word. Moving forward Castaway came closer and slapped with full force on my face with the back of his hand. The force of his slap sent me back onto the floor of the cell.

"Where are the gargoyles hiding," shouted Castaway.

Slowly I raised myself back up onto my feet using the wall to help me. "I don't know and even if I did I'd never tell you."

It was an easy lie to make. Truth is I did know where the gargoyles were hiding out. I found out when Angela and the Trio became human on that one faithful day, but I wasn't about to come out and tell them that.

Unfortunately Castaway apparently didn't believe me. He said "Now why don't I believe you? Where are they?" This time it wasn't a question it was a demand.

I wasn't going to tell this guy anything. Just because he hit me didn't mean I had to obey him. "Drop dead," I said.

Castaway now let out a long and heavy sigh. Turning toward my father, Castaway said "Yoshi-san."

Otto-san turned toward Castaway and stood at attention. "Yes, sir," said Otto-san.

Castaway said "Maybe you can try and convince your daughter to give us some information."

"With pleasure, sir," said Otto-san, grinning wickedly. He then turned away from Castaway and came toward me.

That grin was still on his face, but the look in his eyes made me step back. I would've gone further, but the back wall behind me was in the way. I knew what was coming next especially when my father took off his belt. In the past he had mostly used a belt to issue his beatings on me, but this time I wasn't going to let him do it to me so easily.

Otto-san lifted up his arm and was about to strike me when I stopped him. Just when the belt was about to hit my skin I moved out of the way and grabbed the belt as it was still in the air. Before Otto-san could react I gave a hard tug and took the belt from his hand.

"How do you like that," I said.

Apparently they didn't like that very much at all. Otto-san jumped forward with an angry look on his face. He grabbed my arm and twisted it making me drop the belt in the process. I yelped as he did this to me.

"You little bitch! I'll teach you to fight me," he shouted, angrily. Otto-san then commenced with his beating of me.

Down the hallway and anywhere else close by in the building the only thing could be heard out of the cell were the loud painful screams of the victim inside. Hardly anyone that heard the screams felt pity for the person inside.

Back at the castle, inside of the nursery, Puck and Alexander had been using the finding spell for some time now. Puck was starting to think that they weren't going to be able to locate me when something happened. Suddenly, out of nowhere, Puck heard a very loud scream and his eyes snapped right open.

"Finally," he stated.

Puck turned toward Alexander and saw that his student had reacted the same way. Alex started in surprise and fear not knowing where the scream had come from.

"Looks like we've found her, my boy," said Puck.

Alexander nodded his head in agreement with his teacher, but the look of fear was still on his face. These guys now tried to hone in on my location just by using my scream. They needed something to give Brooklyn and he others when they returned to the castle.

Inside my cell Castaway called my beating to a halt. Castaway held up a hand stopping my father. "Enough," he said.

My father was about to hit me again when Castaway had spoke. Otto-san stopped in mid-swing and looked at his leader. "Yes, sir," Otto-san said.

With one last hateful look a me Otto-san now let me go. When he released my arm I immediately collapsed down onto the floor. My legs weren't able to keep me up.

As my father moved away Castaway took his place at my side. Going down on one knee, Castaway said "Feeling up to talking now?"

Once again I kept my silence as I did before and turned my face away from him.

Knowing that I wasn't going to tell him anything right now Castaway decided to back off for the time being. "Very well, we'll see how defiant you are after a day alone without food," he said icily. Castaway stood up and turned back to his companions. "Let's go."

Without another word Castaway walked right out of the cell. George went out next with Otto-san following close behind. Out of the entire group Richard Harrison was the last one to leave my cell.

As Richard was about to leave he stopped in the doorway and turned back to me. The look on his face showed some sympathy for me. I glared back at him showing Richard how I felt about this situation.

"I'm sorry," he said. With that Richard walked the rest of the way out of the cell and closed the door behind him.

I heard the door lock and then I was once again alone. With the beating Otto-san had given me I was feeling sore all over the place and it was just going to get worst as the hours went by. Now that they were gone I was feeling cold again. With nothing to keep me warm my body was really starting to shake with and my injuries.

Dawn was approaching and the clan was starting to gather back at the castle for the day. None of them had any luck at finding clues at all this night. Hudson and Bronx had made it back to the castle first with Angela, Brooklyn, and Lexington arriving there a few minutes after them. All of them had the same thing to tell each other which was nothing.

Hudson was sitting inside the gargoyles private quarters with Bronx when the three showed up.

Turning his attention away from the television and over to them, he asked "Find anything?"

All three just shook their heads at Hudson's inquiry.

Angela answered, saying "No, we couldn't find anything. Things were extremely quiet tonight."

"How were things with you and Bronx," asked Lexington.

"No luck at all," said Hudson, shaking his head, "I'm afraid we found nothing either."

Sighing, Angela said "Let's hope that father and Brooklyn have had better luck with their search."

Broadway looked out a window for a few seconds and then back at his beloved Angela. Right when he turned his gaze away from it Broadway immediately brought it back to the window. Something outside of the castle had caught his eyes. A closer look at what was outside showed him what was coming their way.

Broadway said "We're about to find out. Goliath and Brooklyn are just getting back."

Hudson, Lexington, and Angela moved over to where Broadway was standing. The four of them looked out of the window at where he was pointing. Sure enough these four could now clearly see Goliath and Brooklyn gliding over closer to the castle wall.

"Come on, let's go," Angela said.

With this Angela turned and strolled out of their quarters with the others coming up behind her with Bronx at the rear of the little group.

Outside the castle Goliath and Brooklyn were now circling around the building looking for a good landing spot for them. Eventually the two of them choose to land in the castles courtyard. Right when they landed the rest of the clan came into view.

"Father," Angela called out.

Goliath opened up his arms and the two of them hugged for a moment.

"How was your search," Angela asked.

Goliath and Brooklyn looked at each other a moment before answering.

Brooklyn said "No we haven't found anything. How about you guys?"

All of the others shrugged.

"Sorry, Brook, we haven't found anything either," said Broadway, regretfully.

Brooklyn became a little upset by this. The others could tell by the expression he was wearing on his face.

Goliath took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, saying "Perhaps Puck has found something with young Alexander by now." Goliath was trying to be optimistic by saying this, but little did he know that he was right.

Sensing Brooklyn's discomfort Bronx went over to him and started to whine. Brooklyn went down on one knee and started to pet Bronx. "I'm all right, boy," he said.

Bronx woofed back and licked Brooklyn's face.

Xanatos came bursting into the courtyard. All attention turned to him as soon as he entered the scene.

"Xanatos," said Goliath, questioningly.

Coming over to them, Xanatos said "I'm glad you're all here Puck and Alex have found something."

Head snapping up, Brooklyn said, eagerly "What did they find?"

Motioning with his arm, Xanatos said "Come on, Puck want to show you himself." Xanatos turned and ran out of the courtyard with the others following him at his heels.

Inside the nursery Fox was waiting for the rest of them with Puck and Alexander. It wasn't long before they were joined by Xanatos and the clan.

Brooklyn got straight to the point, asking "What do you have for us?"

Puck said "This."

Right then a scream filled the room. It made everyone jump except for Puck and Alexander. The scream soon subsided into nothing.

"What the hell was that," said Lexington.

"Surely you can guess," said Puck, staring straight at Brooklyn.

Instantly, Brooklyn got what Puck was getting at. "Sata," he said, horrified, "they're hurting Sata."

Immediately, Goliath sprang into action. "Can you show us where she is," he asked.

Puck nodded his head, yes.

"Do it," ordered Goliath.

Puck did as he was told. With a word to Alexander the two of them focused their magic on my location where the scream had originated.

Within moments my image appeared in front of the entire group. It was of me inside that stone cell. Every single one of them gasped and sucked in breaths of air. Inside my cell I was curled up in a ball with my arms wrapped around me. I was trying so hard to shield myself from the cold, but as everyone could see by my shivering it wasn't working very well. Livid bruises were starting to appear over some parts of my body.

Brooklyn was growling and his eyes were starting to glow in anger when he saw all of this. "I'll kill them," he growled, barely above a whisper. The image blurred up and then it suddenly disappeared. "What just happened? Bring it back up!"

To their surprise it wasn't Puck, but Owen they found standing in the middle of the pentagram with a sleepy Alex in his arms. Owen was holding the picture frame of my mother holding me as a baby in his non-stone hand. "I'm afraid that's all I can show you for tonight," Owen said, dully.

He then stepped out of the pentagram and circle of candles. With the spell over for now the dandles had gone out on their own.

"What do you mean," Hudson asked.

Owen said "As you already well know because of the order Lord Oberon has placed on me I can't use my magi whenever I want to. The only time I can use my magic is when I'm teaching young master Alexander or when he is in danger. Right now neither of these are in affect."

"Well then just start the lesson up again," Broadway said.

Shaking his head, Owen said "That won't be possible right now."

"Why," asked Angela.

Looking down at Alexander, Owen said "With Alexander asleep now there's nothing I can do. The spell took up most of his strength. He needs to rest for a while before we can use it again."

"How long do you need? When can it be used again," asked Brooklyn, eagerly.

Owen thought carefully for a moment before he spoke up again. "If my calculations are correct we should be able to use the spell again tonight. Using the spell again before Alexander is ready could damage him." Owen looked at Fox and Alexander as he said this part. He saw that these two looked a little worried as he said this.

Brooklyn was still trying to insist that they activate the spell again sooner. He said "But Sata could ger into an even worst state than she is now. We need to find out where she is this minute." Brooklyn said this even though he already knew everyone's answer, no.

Some of the others tried to reassure Brooklyn in all of his discomfort.

Xanatos said "Look Brooklyn, Fox and I have scent agents all over the city looking for your friend. With so many people out there searching you really have nothing to worry about."

"He's right you know," said Fox, softly. "I'm sure at least one of our guys will find something."

Broadway said "Yeah and remember Elisa is out searching with some other officers, too. I'm sure they'll locate Sata in a few hours." Broadway said this with a smile on his face trying to reassure his rookery brother.

Brooklyn took in a deep breath, saying "I guess you're right."

Putting a hand on his seconds shoulder, Goliath said, gently "It's almost dawn, time to head up."

Knowing that he had no other choice Brooklyn left the nursery with the rest of the clan. Before he left Brooklyn found Owen standing behind him. Owen was holding out the photograph of my mother and I to him.

"Until I need it again," Owen said.

Without any hesitation Brooklyn took the photograph from Owens hand and followed the others out.

Owen handed the sleeping Alexander over to his parents. He then made a slight bow and left them. He said "If you'll excuse me, sir."

Xanatos nodded, saying "By all means."

Just like the clan Owen then left the nursery to return to his other duties. At the same time Xanatos and Fox tucked their little son in and put him to bed.

The clan had reached the tower and was walking up the stairs. Everyone was extremely quiet this entire time even Bronx. He usually was always very active when all of them were heading up to their own sleeping spots. All of them were feeling the mood coming out of Brooklyn so the atmosphere was getting to all of them. Some of the clan at this point didn't even know me like Desdemona and Othello who had just returned from their own patrol. They had hard everything from one of the others and were now feeling somewhat solemn. Even though most of the clan hadn't even met me yet they were now feeling the same kind of worry as Brooklyn.

Eventually the entire clan reached their own sections of the tower and went onto their pedestals. Goliath, Desdemona, and Othello were all the way up on the top while Hudson, Bronx, and the youngsters were just a little ways below them.

When Brooklyn was settled upon his pedestal he took one last look at the photograph as he and the others went into stone sleep. As Brooklyn gazed at my mother's face, so very much like my own as she was holding me in the picture, tears started to swell in his eyes. The sun then came up and put the entire clan into stone sleep. Even in his stone form his emotions were so strong that a tear escaped out of his eyes and flowed down his stone form.


	18. Chapter 18

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 18

Even though the clan was frozen in stone sleep during the day the others never stopped searching for any clues to find me. As Broadway said to his rookery brother Elisa never stopped searching for me. She and most of the other officers were still driving everywhere around the city looking for me. Unlike the other officers who kept switching shifts Elisa just kept on going. Elisa just took small naps in her car whenever she was tired. She usually slept like the gargoyles whenever the sun was up, but not today. This detective wasn't going to stop until she found something.

Also, the agents that Fox and Xanatos had were working overtime. They had sent a number of them out searching for anything that could be useful to them, but so far none of them found anything. They all looked into the deepest and darkest corners of the city for information, but they all kept coming up empty handed. By the afternoon it was with a heavy heart that Xanatos and Fox called their agents back and replaced them with new ones. These two were starting to think they were going to have to face Brooklyn tonight empty handed. They so definitely wanted to avoid doing that so they told their agents to just keep on looking.

As for me things were getting worst by the minute. Every once in a while this day Castaway kept coming into my cell to try and get information on the gargoyles out of me. Each time he came into the cell he always brought my father with him. Every time these two came I kept completely silent not saying anything. Whenever this occurred Castaway ordered my father to beat me out of my defiance and impudence.

Otto-san did so gladly each time Castaway asked this of him. With each hit that landed on me my injuries were getting worst. After each beating these two laid upon they left leaving me in there all alone and promising to visit me again soon.

Whenever Castaway left my cell he said the same old thing each time. He said "You won't last much longer. Stop being so stubborn. Why protect someone that doesn't give a damn about you?"

Castaway paused a few seconds after he said this waiting for a response. I never really answered Castaway when he said this to me, but the last time this happened I did speak.

I said "You're wrong."

Castaway stopped where he was when I said this to him. "What did you say," Castaway asked.

I said "You're wrong. He does care about me I know he does."

"We shall see," Castaway said. He then closed the door as he left.

Truth was I was actually feeling a little sick. Castaways words were starting to hit me home, but I wasn't about to let Castaway know that. Castaway's words weren't the only thing that was causing me to get a little ill. I hadn't had anything to eat since before the art contest yesterday and right now I was seriously hungry.

Castaway had kept well on his promise. I wasn't receiving any food or water while I was in my cell. The food I could understand, but not even a drop of water now that was just cruel. I wasn't even given anything to clean or mend my wounds. Didn't expect anything less from the Quarrymen although one of them was about to change some of that, but not in my eyes. Well not just yet.

Not long after my Otto-sans and Castaway's last visit I heard some movement outside of my door. It was too early for Castaway and father to be back again so it couldn't be them. I was just thinking about who it was when I found out.

The door opened and in the doorway stood Mr. Richard Harrison. He then stepped inside and closed the door behind him. He then held up the tray he was carrying in his hands.

"I brought you something to eat," he said.

I narrowed my eyes and turned bodily away from him even though it pained me to do so. Seriously it really hurt.

Richard only smiled and moved closer to me. I ducked my head into my arms so that I wouldn't have to look at him. Once he was close enough Richard knelt down and held out the tray to me.

"Come on don't be like that. I brought you something to eat. I know you're hungry," he said, gently.

I tried to ignore him, but the smell of the food he was holding was impossible to dismiss. Without actually thinking I grabbed the food tray and immediately started to gobble up the food. Richard had brought me a sandwich and a small cup of water. I took both of these things down in a matter of seconds. That was how hungry and thirsty I was at this point.

When I was finished devouring everything that was there I looked back up at Richards. When I did I saw that Richard was wearing a look of satisfaction on his face.

"There now that wasn't so bad now was it," he said.

I shook my head at him. I then handed the tray back to him. As Richard took it from me he looked closely at me and seemed a bit concerned. He was looking at the injuries covering me. The pity on his face made me angry so I just glared at him through my hair. After a few moments Richard let out a sigh. Then he got up and headed for the door.

Before he left I finally spoke up. I said "Why did you do it?"

Turning, Richard said "Excuse me?"

I said "You disobeyed your master and gave me food. I want to know why."

Shrugging, Richard said "It's quite simple really. I disagreed with the idea of not giving you any food so I decided to give you something to eat even though it wasn't much."

I nodded and the expression on my face softened slightly at hearing these words.

Richard said "Now it's my turn to ask you a question. Why are you protecting those monsters?"

Eyes hard, I said "The gargoyles aren't monsters. They're my friends and I love them very much. Nothing any of you can do that'll make me betray them."

"I'm sorry to hear that then," said Richard.

I said "Yeah I'm sorry too." Sorry for Angela that is and how heartbroken she would be when she found out about this.

Richard nodded his head solemnly and left my cell. Then I was once again alone with absolutely no one for company.

The rest of the day passed by quickly for everyone including me. The night came faster than they all expected it was winter.

The clan woke up with roars and screeches filling the air and shattered pieces of stone flying everywhere. Jumping down from their roosting spots at the top of the tower they joined the others on its lower level.

Goliath spoke to all of them, saying "All right we all know what we have to do tonight."

All of his clan mates nodded. Nothing else really had to be said here they all knew what they had to do this night.

"Then go out and find her," ordered Goliath.

After this was said all of them started to jump off of the tower walls and went in all directions. All except for Brooklyn that is. He was about to jump off when Goliath halted him.

Clearing his throat, Goliath said "Uh, Brooklyn."

"Yes," said Brooklyn.

"I think you're forgetting something," said Goliath.

Brooklyn looked down at what his leader was pointing at. He had forgotten he still held the picture of my Okka-san and I in his hand.

"Oh right, I forgot," he said.

Goliath held out his hand for it, saying "Alexander should be well rested by now. I'll take it down to him and Puck."

With some reluctance Brooklyn handed the photograph over to Goliath and then took off himself.

While Brooklyn was heading out Goliath walked the rest of the way down the tower and went to find Puck and Alex. He found them right where he thought he would. The door to the nursery was wide open by the time he got there. Just like Puck had said Alexander was well rested by now and was very active indeed.

Puck grinned, seeing Goliath standing in the doorway, saying "Ah, Goliath, you have it then?"

Goliath said "Yes, I have it right here." Goliath held the photograph out in front of him to prove his point.

With a wave of his hand Puck made the photograph disappear from Goliath's hand and into his own. "Thank you, Goliath, will keep you informed," he said.

Goliath gave a curt nod and went to join his clan out in the city while leaving these two to their work.

Puck and Alexander activated the finding spell right away. Everything from last night had been left untouched by anyone during the day so they were able to start up immediately. It didn't take so long for this to occur than last night, but it still took them about two hours to find my location again. When he did Alexander squealed in delight and smiled up at his teacher.

Puck smiled down at his student. He had found the same exact thing a few seconds after Alexander did. "Well done, my boy," he said.

These two then focused their energy to getting a good image of my present location. Long Island showed up in front of them and then switched to the tall building I was in on the island.

Satisfied at what they had found Puck ended the lesson. "Looks like we're done," he said, lowering the photograph back onto the floor.

The candles went up by themselves thanks to the magic Puck and Alexander was giving off. At the same time a wind seemed to blow through the room. It surrounded Puck and Alexander and then within seconds the form of Puck was replaced with the one of Owen holding the boy. He was holding the boy with his stone fisted arm. Owen then reached down and took the photograph off the floor.

He said "Come along Alexander let's tell your parents what we have discovered." With this Owen went running out of the nursery with Alex to find the boy's parents.

Owen and Alex found them inside his father's office going over some business papers. Some small pieces of information their agents had managed to gather for them. Xanatos and Fox looked up in surprise when the two of them burst into the office so suddenly.

Xanatos said "Owen, what is it?"

"Success, Sir," Owen said.

The eyes of Fox and Xanatos widened in realization at hearing these words.

"You mean…," Fox began.

Nodding, Owen said "Yes, we have found her."

The Xanatos family now immediately sprang into action.

"We must contact the gargoyles immediately," Xanatos said.

As Xanatos went to contact the gargoyles Fox moved closer and took Alexander into her arms. She then gave her son a kiss on the forehead. "Well done, Alex," she said, love in her voice.

At the same moment her husband managed to contact all of the gargoyles at the same time using his communicator to do it.

Xanatos said "Goliath, Goliath can you hear me?"

Out in the sky Goliath and the others could hear Xanatos loud and clear in their own communicators.

Goliath said "Yes, I can hear you just fine."

"What about the others can they hear me," Xanatos asked.

The rest of the clan answered before he even finished speaking.

"Aye."

"Yes."

"Absolutely."

"We can hear you just fine."

Even though the gargoyles couldn't see him right now Xanatos nodded his head. "Good, listen to me Owen has some news for you," he said.

This got everyone's attention, especially Brooklyn's. "What do you have for us," he asked.

Owen then moved closer to his boss so that the clan could hear him more clearly through the communicator he was speaking into. "It seems we have finally found the location where the Quarrymen are keeping your girlfriend," Owen said, dully.

Brooklyn's voice was extremely forceful when he spoke again. He demanded "Where, Owen, where are they?"

Owen then gave out the location to the clan. "It's on Long Island quite close to where your friend lives Hudson."

"That's good," the old gargoyle said.

Owen said "It's a tall bricked building where they are keeping her. Alexander can put the image o the building in your minds."

Owen turned to Alexander and the toddler nodded his head. Alex then closed his eyes and used his magic to put the image and location of where I was into their minds. The clan got the information with no trouble at all.

Goliath said "Thank you, Owen."

"My pleasure," the man said.

Goliath spoke to his second in command. "Did you get all of that, Brooklyn," Goliath asked.

The answer Goliath got was one he had expected. "I'm already on my way there," Brooklyn said.

This time Angela was the one that spoke. She said "Be careful and don't do anything reckless."

"I can't promise that, over and out," said Brooklyn. With this Brooklyn broke off communication with the others and headed straight toward my location.

The others in the clan headed this way, too. Before he broke off contact with Xanatos he only asked one thing from him.

Goliath said "Xanatos contact Elisa for me will you?"

"Of course, I'll tell her to meet you there," Xanatos said.

The two of them broke off contact and Xanatos did what was requested of him. There was no need for Alexander to use his magic this time.

After she had gotten the directions Elisa immediately sprang into action. Sh said "I'm on my way, I'll be there soon."

"Be careful," Fox said, on the other end of the line.

Elisa quickly reassured Fox that she would be. A moment later she had broken off contact with them, too. Once that was done Elisa took up her police radio and contacted some officers to back her up. Morgan was included in this and she even contacted her friend Matt Blusestone leader of the Gargoyle Task Force. She then started driving as fast as she could following her friend and the directions she had been given.


	19. Chapter 19

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 19

Not long after the sun had set and the moon had risen into the sky Castaway along with Otto-san came for me again. Two different Quarrymen wearing their hoods were with them this time. Instead of continuing the interrogation of me inside of my cell they took me to a different room altogether. They put a black bag over my head again and took me out there. They only took the black bag off of my head when we had reached this other room. It was in an even worse condition than the cell I was kept in.

The two Quarrymen dragged me over to a wooden chair in the middle of the room. They roughly sat me down and held me there as they tightly bound me to it. I winced because ropes they were using were pressing deeply into my wounds. Once they were done these two Quarrymen looked to their leader for further orders.

Castaway gestured with his head toward the door clearly telling them to leave. The two of them did as they were told.

When we were alone Castaway turned to my father. "Leave us," he said.

Otto-san bowed to Castaway and after giving me a hostile look he left the room closing the door behind him. When Otto-san was gone Castaway got down to business with me.

Castaway slowly stated to walk around me in circles while keeping his eyes on my face. I glared right back at him.

"So how long have you known this gargoyle," asked Castaway.

I would have usually kept silent, but this time I wasn't going to. "You bigot I don't have to answer any of your questions," I spat out, a hateful look in my eyes.

Castaway stopped where he was and stood right over me. He said "I understand he was your friend, but he's more than that isn't he? You're more than friends aren't you!"

Castaway bent his body over mind and brought his face close to me. I turned my face away from his, but he just took my chin in his hand and turned my face back toward his. I wrenched my chin out of his hand and turned my head away again.

"Leave me alone," I said.

Castaway grew angry at my defiance and a hostile expression, even more than the one on my father's, appeared on his face. "Don't you know what monsters they are," he demanded. "They're evil all of them. They and all who associate with them must be exterminated!"

As was to be expected Brooklyn was the first of the clan to appear. The building Owen had mentioned was right where he said it would be. Brooklyn circled it above a few times trying to find a way in. After a few times Brooklyn did manage to find an entrance which was an open window on the second floor.

As soon as he spotted it Brooklyn went for it without waiting for any of the others as back up. With a little help from his talons Brooklyn slipped easily and quietly inside without detection. Brooklyn stood quietly where he was for a second to make sure he wasn't heard. Once he realized he was in the clear Brooklyn started looking around the place for me.

Unfortunately, for Brooklyn, so early in the rescue he kind of took a wrong turn. When he turned a corner he immediately ran into trouble.

Quarrymen were in the hallway he had just walked into. When they saw Brooklyn they went straight for him even though none of them were carrying any of their hammers. The ones that came at him first were quickly thrown aside by his strong tail and arms. It didn't last more Quarrymen kept coming at him.

"Get him," one of the big ones yelled, "come on."

As they charged him Brooklyn let out a big growl.

Outside of the building some of the other clan members had finally arrived. Broadway and Angela were the next ones to come.

"This is it," Broadway said, diving.

Once low enough the two of them used their talons to make sure they didn't slide down the wall. These two scaled the walls trying to find the room Castaway might be keeping me in. Broadway was the one to find it.

"Hey, Angie, over here," he called, softly.

Angela moved over to where he was hanging. "I thought I told you to never call me Angie," she said, sternly.

Broadway just waved it away, saying "Never mind just come over here and look at this." He pointed to a window next to him.

Angela did as she was told and carefully peaked inside. When she did this Angela spotted three Quarrymen standing guard over a door with hammers in their hands. Two of them were wearing the hoods while the other ones face could clearly be seen.

"This has to be where they're keeping her," Angela whispered, "but how do we get in?"

On the floor above them was the answer to her question.

With a roar Brooklyn jumped into the middle of the stampede of Quarrymen that were charging him. When Brooklyn did this a huge fight broke out. Quarrymen were jumping all over him and he was throwing any that came within his reach.

An alarm then went off through the entire building. "Intruder on four. All security report, intruder on four."

On the floor below Otto-san and the two Quarrymen he was with heard the alarm. Instantly they left their posts guarding the door to Castaway and me and went to assist the ones facing the intruder.

Broadway and Angela looked at each other in surprise when they saw these three suddenly run away.

"What's that about," Angela said.

Broadway said "I don't know, but now's our chance."

Broadway then opened the window and the two of them slipped inside the building. Angela tried to get the door open, but it was locked. Broadway was going to have to use his muscles for this.

On the other side of the door Castaway was now really starting to get rough with me. He told me to give up everything I knew about the gargoyles.

"No," I said, shrilly.

At that exact moment there was a loud crash and the door landed with a thud onto the floor. Castaway and I turned toward the doorway to see what had happened. We both received a shock.

Standing in the doorway were two gargoyles. One was clearly female with lavender skin while the other was a large aqua blue male. I recognized them immediately and got over my shock quickly, but apparently Castaway didn't. A look of fear and fury appeared on his face when he saw these two.

"What the hell are you doing here," shouted Castaway.

As Broadway and Angela walked into the room Castaway instinctively stepped further away from them.

"Let the girl go, Castaway," growled Broadway.

Castaway took out a small blaster from his uniform and pointed it at the two gargoyles. "Stay back you demons," he said.

Seeing the blaster Broadway and Angela let out growls, their eyes glowing in anger. Before anything else could happen there was an interruption.

Out of nowhere Otto-san appeared panting in the doorway. He said "Sir, that scarlet gargoyle from the tape broke in. He's busted up half the men."

Before father could even finish speaking Broadway was upon him. Broadway grabbed him by the front of his uniform and threw him through the air. While this was happening Castaway took this opportunity to fire a few shots at my friends. None of them hit its mark. Otto-san flew through the air hitting and breaking the light bulb hanging from the ceiling with his head. He landed on top of Castaway and in the process knocking them both out.

This done Broadway came over to untie me.

"Broadway, Angela," I said, questioningly.

Broadway and Angela smiled at me.

"Good to see you again, Sata," Broadway said.

I said "What are you doing here?"

"Let's just say Brooklyn sent us," Angela said.

With the ropes cut Angela helped me to my feet and the three of us moved toward the door. Only we stopped when something blocked our way out.

Brooklyn had finally managed to break away from his fight with the Quarrymen and found me at last. There was one problem the fight had left him exhausted. He had to hold onto the sides of the door for support. Seeing me a few feet in front of him Brooklyn tried to reach me.

"Sata," he said, weakly.

Brooklyn held out his arms toward me and took a step forward. Brooklyn collapsed onto the floor. His body was just too tired to go any further.

"Brooklyn," I said.

I went straight to his side. With tears coming down my face I knelt beside Brooklyn and cradled his head in my arm. I laid my head on his own letting my tears flow down my face and onto his own. We were finally together again. After a few seconds of this I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Look this is all very touching, but we've got to get out a here," said Broadway.

Broadway knelt down and Angela and I helped put Brooklyn onto his back.

Groaning, Broadway said "Oh Brooklyn, you've got to cut down on the snacks pal. Come on."

Broadway motioned to Angela and I with his arm and the two of us followed him out the door. We took the stairs trying to avoid fighting the Quarrymen. We made it all the way down to the first floor just like Brooklyn did before we made a mistake and went the wrong way.

Before we knew it we were all surrounded by a whole pack of Quarrymen. Richard and George Harrison were among them, but they were both wearing their hoods.

Broadway said "Uh oh, looks like we took a wrong turn."

The three of us huddled closer together with me in between Broadway and Angela. I was hanging onto Brooklyn with all of my might.

Then Castaway and Otto-san were there, too. By the look of things these two weren't out very long at all. The two of them bore smug expressions on their faces.

Castaway said "Well Miss Sagara since you 'hate' gargoyles so much I think I'll let you watch while I put some of them out of their misery."

Horrified, I shrieked "No!"

Quarrymen were closing in. Broadway and Angela got into defending positions.

"Not if we take some of you punks down with us," growled Broadway.

The Quarrymen were about to pounce on us when something else completely diverted their attention. There was a huge bang and the wall to their left exploded. Some of the Quarrymen jumped back and Angela shielded me with her wings from the flying pieces of stone. Some of the Quarrymen didn't manage to get out of the way in time so they went down in a heap when the stone pieces hit them.

"Who dares," shouted Castaway. Out of the dust stood his answer.

Three pairs of glowing eyes were staring at all the Quarrymen around us. Some of the more frightened Quarrymen ran away in fear while most of them stayed where they were to fight. Three new gargoyles had now joined the battle. One of the new gargoyles was a beautiful female and the other two were males. One of the males was tall, muscular, and blue with white hair. The other male was the same, but had lavender skin and long dark hair. Looking at this one gargoyle I realized that this must've been Angela's own father. Like Demona these two, also, had the same kind of qualities.

As soon as the dust had cleared Castaway immediately recognized the lavender gargoyle. "You," Castaway hissed. Castaway turned to all of his remaining men that were still with him. "Don't just stand there get them!"

The ones who remained including Otto-san, George, and Richard charged at the gargoyles with their hammers raised. With roars the new arrivals went straight into battle. Some Quarrymen were even firing blasters at them.

While this was happening Broadway, Angela, and I took this opportunity to get Brooklyn out. We hadn't even taken a few steps when Broadway was called back in.

"Broadway we need you here," called Goliath.

Broadway didn't hesitate a minute. Broadway lowered Brooklyn from his back and handed him over to the two of us.

"Get him somewhere safe," said Broadway. He then ran back into the building to join the others.

Angela and I supported Brooklyn with one of his arms over each of our shoulders. With that gargoyle strength of hers it was easy for Angela to carry Brooklyn, but it wasn't for me. I wasn't even close to being as strong as Angela and all of the injuries I was sustaining along with the pain were just making it worst for me. Fortunately, Angela and I managed to find a good sheltered spot a few feet away. We were still next to the building, but we were far enough from the opening in the wall where no one could see us or so we thought.

We set Brooklyn down on his back as gently as we could.

Angela said "Stay here with him I'm going to help the others."

"You don't have to tell me twice," I said.

Angela nodded and ran away back to the others. I heard her as she jumped back into the battle. Outside I was tending to Brooklyn as best as I could. I sat down on my knees and pillowed Brooklyn's head on my lap. He was still knocked out by his own exhaustion. I stroked my hand across his forehead and through the strands of his hair that were hanging there.

"Oh Brooklyn, Brooklyn, I'm so sorry," I whispered even though he couldn't hear me.

Back inside the building the gargoyles were putting up one hell of a fight. Unfortunately, no matter how many Quarrymen they beat up and threw to the side more and more of them kept coming.

Broadway was surprised to see his beloved fighting side by side with the rest of them. "Angela, where are Brooklyn and Sata," he asked.

"I left them in a good spot," she said, "don't worry they'll be fine,"

Boy was she wrong.

During the fight some of the Quarrymen managed to slip away through the hole in the wall. There were about six of them I think that managed to slip away. This group left the building to try and escape the fight, but they walked right into another one.

Walking into the shadows of the night one of the Quarrymen spotted something a few feet away from them. This Quarryman couldn't believe what he saw. A very big smile appeared on this guy's face.

"Look at this," he said.

His comrade looked at where his friend was pointing and a huge grin appeared on his face.

"I don't believe it," he said.

Now the other four turned in the direction the others were looking at and they now saw what had interested their friends.

Inside the shadows were a gargoyle and a young woman. They immediately recognized the girl that had recently been captured.

I had spotted these guys as soon as they came out and was looking at them with a scared look on my face. They weren't scared at all. These six Quarrymen were wearing huge wolf like grins on their faces. I could tell this because unlike most of the other Quarrymen inside they weren't wearing their hoods. These three were now given an opportunity so they had every right to be happy right now. With an unconscious gargoyle and a defenseless girl right in front of them how could they not be.

"I can't believe our luck," one of them said.

The eight Quarrymen started to close in on where Brooklyn and I were sitting on the ground. Seeing them coming closer my eyes was wide and fear was completely covering my face. My arms cradling Brooklyn's head became a little tighter. Against these many Quarrymen I knew I didn't stand a chance of fighting any of them on my own especially not in the condition I was in. So if this was the end for us I wasn't going to let Brooklyn go. So as the Quarrymen moved forward I just held Brooklyn even closer to me.

Ones that were holding their hammers were charging them up. The biggest of them got to the two of us first.

"Two birds with one stone," he said.

"Please don't," I begged and pleaded with my eyes.

The guy shook his head still wearing that grin of a wolf. The Quarryman lifted up his hammer preparing to strike. I closed my eyes waiting for the end to come.

It never came nor made its mark.

Just when the Quarryman was about to slam his hammer into us something came out of nowhere and letting out a big growl jumped right into the guy. The Quarryman let out a yell and he slammed into the wall of the neighboring building.

I had opened my eyes when I heard the yell and the exclamations of surprise coming out of his comrades. Now I could see what was happening and what had saved the two of us. The seven Quarrymen that were still standing were backing away slightly from something and I saw what it was.

Standing protectively in front of Brooklyn and I was a huge four legged beast. I recognized it as a gargoyle, but a different type like one of a big dog. The gargoyle hound was staring at the seven Quarrymen, growling as he was standing there in a defensive position. One other thing is that this gargoyle beast wasn't our only rescuer at the moment.

No sooner had the remaining seven Quarrymen started to back away that they were attacked from above. There was a huge roar and a loud screech that could be heard coming from above. The Quarrymen and I looked up and when we did we saw a huge and small form bearing down on the seven of them. The smaller gargoyle landed first with his eyes glowing. With how small this gargoyle was compared to the others I realize that this one was Lexington. The larger one I didn't recognize, but I did know that he must've been old because of the gray hair and wrinkles on his body. These two landed in the middle of the seven Quarrymen along with Bronx and when they did all hell seemed to break loose out here.

Lexington was fighting hand to hand with the Quarrymen along with knocking them about with his tail while trying to avoid getting hit by their hammers. The old gargoyle Hudson was doing the same thing, but a bit slower and with his sword. Their hound was biting and tackling any of the remaining Quarrymen he could reach.

This whole time I never left Brooklyn's side and I was still cradling his head in the circle of my arms.

I don't know how, but the old gargoyle Hudson made his way over to Brooklyn and I while still keeping the Quarrymen off of him.

"Lass are you all right," asked Hudson.

I said "Except for some cuts and bruises on my body I'm all right."

Without turning his head the old gargoyle gestured toward the unconscious Brooklyn in my arms. "What about the lad? Is he…," Hudson began.

I spoke up before he could finish, saying "He's passed out from exhaustion. Don't worry he's fine tired and a little banged up, but he's fine."

"Planning on waking up anytime soon," Lex asked.

Shaking my head, I said "No."

Lexington said "Too bad we could really use his help about now!" Lexington ducked and jumped because one of the Quarrymen had swung its hammer at the gargoyle.

"We'll have to do without him for now," said Hudson. Hudson then clocked the swing of a Quarryman's hammer with his sword.

The eighth Quarryman had recovered from Bronx tackling him and rejoined the fight. This guy wasn't in it for long because Hudson tripped the guy up with his tail and Bronx tackled him again.

The old gargoyle now turned back to Brooklyn and I, saying "Get the lad away from here. He's no use to us in this state."

"Can you guys cover our backs," I asked.

The old gargoyle said "Aye we will now go and don't worry about getting lost we'll find you." Hudson then let out a roar and attacked a nearby Quarryman keeping all of them back with Lexington and Bronx.

These three were giving Brooklyn and I the chance we needed to get away and I wasn't about to pass it up. With every ounce of strength I had in me I put one of Brooklyn's arms over my shoulders and lifted him up into a standing position. My body was still hurting from all of those injuries I was sustaining, but I fought against the pain. Even with this I still don't know how I managed to get Brooklyn into a standing position let alone hold him up. Fortunately, for me I was able to carry him down the middle of both buildings. As we were reaching the opening at the end of these two buildings I was actually starting to think that we were now in the clear. Turns out I was wrong big time and I should've expected the reason why as soon as it happened to the two of us right then and there.

During this whole time my focus was completely on what was in front of me. So I didn't notice the figure that slipped passed everyone else to follow Brooklyn and I down the passage carrying a large hammer in his hand. For anyone who might've seen the guy it would be very clear to them of what this guy's intentions were. I was struggling, but I did manage to get Brooklyn to that opening.

Just as we had reached the end of the passageway I heard some faint footsteps coming up from behind the two of us. I was starting to turn to see what it was when there was a loud yell from behind us.

"Die!"

Recognizing the voice I turned quickly to find my father bearing down on the two of us holding his hammer high over his head. Within a second after he spoke Otto-san swung the hammer right at our heads. I screamed and pushed Brooklyn's body one way while I went the other. Brooklyn landed with a thud on the ground. Even though Brooklyn was an easier target Otto-san came after me first.

Seeing that his attack had missed Otto-san changed direction and re-aimed his hammer right at my head. I ducked and instead of hitting me the hammer slammed right into the wall. Otto-san had to pull quite hard to wedge it out of there and while he was doing this I slipped past him to stand in front of Brooklyn.

When Otto-san finally got his hammer wedged out from the opposite wall he swung back toward me with pure malice shining from his dark eyes.

He said "You're a disgrace, Sata, you've shamed the family name."

"And how exactly have I done that Otto-san," I asked, not taking my eyes off of his hammer.

He said "You've done it by being friends with one of these monsters."

This got me angry and upset. Anger and distress came upon my face when Otto-san said this to me.

I said "Otto-san, how can you say that. Okaa-san told me plenty of legend and stories about them being protectors in Japan while she was alive. Why are you trying to destroy them?"

"Like your Okaa-san I did believe in the old legends about the gargoyles, but then I met Castaway and he opened my eyes to the truth. Gargoyles are demons and for that they must be destroyed," Otto-san said.

I said "You're wrong, Otto-san."

"What," he snarled.

I said "I may have only known one gargoyle for a short time and if there's one thing I've learned they aren't monsters." I spoke this with a lot of force in my voice trying to make him understand what I was saying to him.

Instead of listening to my words and actually seeing the truth of things my father just dismissed everything I said.

Shaking his head, Otto-san said "I'm disappointed in you, daughter, and so would your mother. Unlike you she would be very happy with what I've been doing here."

"No, Otto-san that isn't correct," I stated.

Father's gaze on me intensified greatly when he heard this come out of me. I didn't flinch and continued with what I was saying to him.

"Okaa-san would've hated what you've been doing with the Quarrymen. Like me she would've agreed that the gargoyles are to be respected not hated. You've gotten everything all backwards, Otto-san. Okaa-san would be disappointed in you not me. I'm not the disgrace in the family you are and I'm ashamed to be your daughter," I shouted.

My outburst made Otto-san even more furious at me.

Otto-san roared "You little bitch I'll teach you to not disrespect me!"

He ran at me with his hammer, but I stood firm where I was. My arms were spread wide and a determined look was on my face. My father knew I wasn't going to budge from where I was, but he didn't care at all. He was going to beat some sense into me even if it killed me, literally. Otto-san was only a few feet away from me when he swung his hammer straight for my body. The hammer was about to slam into me when suddenly the complete unexpected occurred.

Out of nowhere someone's hand came out of the darkness and stopped the hammer from hitting me just an inch from my face.

"Who dares interfere," Otto-san shouted, angered.

We both turned at the same time to see who had saved me and received a shock.

After all this time Brooklyn had finally woken up.

Brooklyn had grabbed he hammer in his hand and stopped it in its tracks. My beloved certainly wasn't happy. He was growling and staring at my father with his eyes glowing in pure anger. At first a look of fear appeared on my face when I saw him like this, but it quickly turned into one of gratitude. The look on my father's face was completely different from my own. His face was filled with both hatred and fear only.

There was now an uncomfortable silence, but it only lasted for a second. With his strength Brooklyn twisted the hammer out of my father's hand and threw it away from where we were standing. Before my father could pick up his weapon Brooklyn grabbed his throat and lifted him bodily off of his feet by the neck. Otto-san gasped for breath and tried to pry Brooklyn's talons from around his throat, but to no avail. Brooklyn's fingers weren't budging from his neck. Brooklyn had pushed me aside and put me behind him. This entire time I was looking over his shoulder at my father while watching everything.

Brooklyn now spoke to Otto-san and there was much menace in his voice as he did so.

"Payback time you bastard. You have caused Sata so much pain and suffering. Now it's time for me to return the favor," growled Brooklyn.

Right now Otto-san gasped and in doing so managed to suck in a breath of air so he could speak, saying "I don't know what you're talking about."

This just got Brooklyn even angrier and made his fury grow tenfold. He let out a huge snarl and his eyes glowed even brighter with his growing anger. Brooklyn tightened his grip on my father's neck which caused Otto-san to choke and gasp for even more air.

Brooklyn said "How dare you lie to me you piece of filth! I've seen the wounds you've inflicted on her both emotionally and physically and you tell me you haven't hurt her! I can see all of her pain just by looking into her eyes!"

Otto-san was clawing desperately at the hand Brooklyn had wrapped around his throat. His windpipe was closing up not enough air was getting into his system. He realized Brooklyn wasn't going to let go so Otto-san turned to me for help. His eyes moved away from Brooklyn's intimidating face and over to mine. He took one of his hands off of Brooklyn's and stretched it out toward me. This caused Brooklyn to push me back further behind him.

"Keep your hands off of her," said Brooklyn, angrily.

Father paid no heed to Brooklyn's warning and kept stretching out his hand toward me.

"Daughter, please help me," he whispered.

Hearing this come out of my father was a shock to me and the surprise was quite clear on my face. This only lasted for a few seconds before an expression of hostility came back onto my face.

"Why should I help you," I demanded, "you've caused me nothing, but grief!"

Otto-san had nothing to say to that he just looked at me with pleading eyes asking me to help him out of this situation. After a few moments of looking into his face the expression of hostility left my own and a much softer expression replaced the one on my face and in my eyes. I don't know what mad me do it, but something in my father's eyes compelled me to help him.

Brooklyn said "Time to finish what I started." He was about to snap my father's neck when I placed my hand on his arm stopping him from doing it.

"No," I said.

Brooklyn turned to me while still holding Otto-san by the throat.

"No," he asked.

Nodding, I repeated "No."

Brooklyn couldn't believe what he was hearing from me and even my father looked surprised by what I was saying. It could've been the grip Brooklyn had on his neck that was making him look this way, but I wasn't exactly sure.

Brooklyn said "Think about what you're saying here, Sata. This is the man who murdered your mother and made your life a misery by doing so. He shouldn't be allowed to live."

I was silent for a while, but after some very careful thinking I did speak up again, saying "True he did murder my Okaa-san and made me miserable ever since she died. Be that as it may he is still my Otto-san and he helped bring me into this word."

Looking weary and doubtful, Brooklyn started "Sata, I…"

Quite calmly and clear, I said "Don't sink you down to their level by killing him, Brooklyn-san. If you do you'll be just like him. Do you want that, my love?" I was looking at him in the eyes as I said this to him and he gazed into mine.

"I'm just trying to make you happy, Sata," he said, softly.

I said "If you really think killing him will make me happy then do it."

I took my restraining hand off of his arm showing Brooklyn I wasn't going to stop him from doing what he wanted. I was leaving the choice up to him.

When Brooklyn saw what I was doing he turned away from me and back to the man hanging in his grip with his eyes glowing again. He looked as if he was going to really kill my father this time. The tenseness in his entire body and the scared to death look on my father's face were pure signs of this. Then suddenly something in his body changed. His entire body language transformed completely. The glow in his eyes along with every sign of hostility in his face disappeared in a matter of seconds along with all of the menace radiating from his body. Also, I noticed the ice like grip he had slacken on my father's throat and Otto-san could breathe in air again. Otto-san was taking in very deep breaths in order to get his system back to normal again.

A smile appeared on my face when I saw the choice Brooklyn had made. I moved closer and gave him a kiss on the side of the face.

"Well done, Brooklyn," I said.

Brooklyn returned my smile and rubbed his brow ridge against my own.

"This I do for you, Sata," he said.

I said "And for that I am grateful."

The two of us had actually forgotten about Otto-san until a small chuckle escaped out of him. We turned our faces toward him and saw he was wearing a huge sneer on his face.

"What are you laughing at," demanded Brooklyn, growling.

Otto-san said "For a few seconds there I thought you were going to kill me. Even though you spared my life you're still a demon and you along with the rest of your barbaric kind are going to hell where you belong."

Quicker than my father could react Brooklyn threw Otto-san with all of his strength against the opposite building and let out a big roar. The impact Otto-san went through didn't kill him, but it did cause him a hell of a lot of pain. Otto-san let out a shout of pain when he landed back onto the cement. A large shadow passed over him blocking the light coming from the moon. Otto-san looked up to find Brooklyn-sama standing over him.

"Be grateful that I have spared your life you piece of filth. If Sata hadn't stopped me you would already be dead. Next time we meet you may not be so lucky," said Brooklyn, teeth gritted.

Otto-san didn't say anything this time. He cowered against the wall, he learned his lesson from before.

With one last hostile look at my father Brooklyn turned around and came back to me. That beautiful smile was on my face and as he did before Brooklyn returned the smile. The two of us embraced and he wrapped his wings around me.

Unnoticed by the two of us we didn't realize that we now had a bigger audience. All of the eight Quarrymen they were fighting were now down for the count and weren't going to get back up any time soon. Hudson, Lexington, and Bronx were watching the two of us together not too far away from us, but they weren't alone.

Goliath had now joined the lot of us outside. Like the other three he had witnessed the entire exchange along with all of the anger and hatred that came out of Brooklyn. Also, they heard every single word that was said here. When Brooklyn had said he was prepared to kill my father and then again a few seconds ago uneasy glances passed between Hudson and Goliath. Now smiles appeared on their faces along with Lexington when they saw all of the love and affection passing between the two of us.

After a few moments of all of them standing around watching us including my father could now hear sirens in the distance and coming closer with every second.

"Looks like Elisa and Bluestone have finally arrived," stated Goliath.

Lexington said "Yeah, right when the hard stuff is done."

Goliath gave Lexington a hard look and when he saw it the kid shut right up. Otto-san could hear the sirens too and when he did he tried to make a run for it. Brooklyn broke out of our embrace and tried to go after him, but I stopped him.

I said "Let him go he won't get very far."

I was right on that one. Otto-san didn't get very far before the police got him in fact he didn't even get further than about twenty feet before he was caught.

It didn't take long at all for the police and the Gargoyle Task Force to find us in the opening between the two buildings. When they spotted us there they were relieved at seeing me all right, but not being surrounded by a group of gargoyles. As soon as they saw this they immediately pulled out their guns and pointed them straight at the gargoyles.

"Freeze," one of them shouted.

The gargoyles tensed up and before another fight could break up I stepped in between the two groups.

Facing the new arrivals, I shouted "Hey stop not them the Quarrymen are inside." These guys did lower their guns slightly, but didn't move. This was when I lost patience with all of them. "Don't just stand there go get them!"

"Yes, ma'am," they all said.

Without any further delay these guys hurried down the passageway. As they did so these guys gave the gargoyles a whole lot of space as they passed them. When they entered the large hole in the building wall a lot of shouted and screams could be heard along with a bunch of guns and blasters going off. Other officers soon followed them in while the ones who remained checked out the eight Quarrymen which were unconscious outside the building.

Elisa and Matt Bluestone were two of these people. These two came right over to where I was standing with Brooklyn.

"Are you all right," Elisa asked.

I nodded, yes, saying "I'm all right thanks to the gargoyles."

"You don't look all right," Bluestone said, a hard look on his face. I knew he was referring to all of those bruises and cuts covering my body. "You should have those checked out."

Shaking my head, I said "I told you I'm fine they don't hurt at all."

Next moment I winced in pain because Brooklyn wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave them a small squeeze. Even a gentle squeeze from Brooklyn really hurt right now.

Elisa and Bluestone both took advantage of this.

Unconvinced, crossing his arms, Bluestone said "Uh huh."

Even Elisa knew I needed tending to. She said "Look Sata there's an ambulance over by the patrol cars. Go and treat your wounds."

Sighing in defeat, I said "All right you win."

Wrapping a wing around me, Brooklyn said "Come on I'll walk you over there."

With that Brooklyn and I walked out of the passageway to find that ambulance. Once we were out Elisa and Matt went over to speak to Goliath, Hudson, and Lexington. Bronx woofed at them as they closed the distance. Elisa gave the hound a pat on the head and so did Matt.

"What do you have for us," asked Elisa.

Goliath said "Well Castaway was here along with most of his men. We think the entire association was here tonight."

"Let's just hope we get Castaway," Elisa said.

Just then the rest of the clan came out of the building.

"How's it going in there," Bluestone asked.

Broadway said "They're still looking for more Quarrymen inside."

"We'd better go join them," said Bluestone.

Elisa and Matt went inside the building to help hunt down the leftover Quarrymen.

Desdemona looked around seeing that someone was missing. "Where's Brooklyn," she asked.

Lexington said "He's over by the ambulance with Sata helping her to treat her injuries."

"That's good they're finally back together again," said Angela, satisfied.

The clan stood out there at the opening for a while and then after a few minutes people started to come out through it. Officers were leading plenty of Quarrymen in handcuffs over to the trucks and patrols cars. Elisa and Bluestone came out last and they didn't look happy.

"Well," Goliath inquired.

Elisa said "Castaway got away along with most of his men we only got a small fraction of them here."

Disappointment spread to all of them.

"Damn it if we had just gotten him…," Othello said.

Elisa said "I know, I know, but we'll just have to keep trying."

"Come on we'd better go join Brooklyn," Goliath said.

The whole lot of them went out to find Brooklyn and I with plenty of officers and Quarrymen moving around them. At the ambulance a medic was examining my wounds at the back of the vehicle with Brooklyn sitting down right next to us. Surprisingly the medic wasn't at all scared by him.

"Well," I inquired.

The medic said "Your wounds are quite serious I'm afraid you're going to have to go to a hospital for treatment."

Sighing, I said "I thought you might say that."

Nodding the medic then left me alone with Brooklyn.

Brooklyn did his best to try and comfort me. "Don't worry, Sata, it'll be all right," he said.

I smiled at Brooklyn and put my head against his shoulder, saying "I know that Brooklyn, but that still doesn't make me feel any better."

Brooklyn stroked his hand through my hair. Brooklyn looked toward the alley and spotted his clan coming out of it. I saw where he was looking and spotted them too.

"Do you want to meet the rest of my clan," he asked.

I didn't say anything to him. I really didn't need to because the look in my eyes said it all. Brooklyn helped me up onto my feet and the two of us started moving toward the clan.

An officer was dragging my father over to one of the large trucks filling up with other Quarrymen. On his way over there Otto-san spotted me walking with Brooklyn over to his clan. Seeing me with these demons boiled up all of the anger inside of him while knowing I was his own flesh and blood made him even angrier.

"Time to end this once and for all," he snarled.

Surprising the officer holding him he kicked the officer off of his feet and made for the guys gun. Other officers saw what he was doing and went to try and stop him. Unfortunately, they weren't going to get to him in time.

As Brooklyn and I were walking I noticed something at the corner of my eye. My heart nearly dropped out of my chest, Otto-san was loose and he was holding a gun in his hands. He was pointing it straight at the two of us and the purpose of what he was doing was on his face. Officers were running over to try and stop him, but I knew they weren't going to be able to in time. Brooklyn didn't even notice what I had to do.

"Stop him," someone shouted.

I don't know who it was. Now people including some of the clan were starting to notice what was going on, but it was too late.

"Die," shouted Otto-san. He then fired the gun and two shots rang out.

At the same time I shoved Brooklyn out of the way with all of my remaining strength. "Look out," I yelled.

Because of my intervention Brooklyn managed to escape getting shot… but I didn't. The shots hit home right into me one in my stomach and my chest. There were shocked gasps as Brooklyn, the clan, and everyone else saw what had just happened.

"Sata," shouted Brooklyn.

There was silence and all around as everyone stood perfectly still.

I was looking at Brooklyn the entire time and then I suddenly could feel some kind of wetness on my hands. Slowly I lifted them up and saw what was now covering them, blood. I looked back at Brooklyn with tears rolling down my face and saw that his was a reflection of mine.

"Brooklyn, I…," I began, but before I could even finish I collapsed.

As soon as I fell the silence was broken. There were shouts and screams all over the place right now. Five officers had wrestled my father onto the ground restraining him and took the gun from his possession.

Brooklyn on the other hand had rushed right over to my side as soon as I collapsed and the rest of his clan followed him with Elisa and Bluestone. Going down onto his knees Brooklyn turned me off of my stomach and onto my back. My face was very pale and tears were still streaming out of my eyes. Brooklyn was holding me tight in his arms a desperate look on his face.

"Sata, Sata speak to me," he said.

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. As I did so I could see many more concerned faces looking down at me.

"Brooklyn," I said, breathlessly. It was then my vision started to blur up.

I could hear Brooklyn calling, saying "Sata, hold on. Hold on."

His voice became very distant as he was speaking to me. Then my world went black with my vision and hearing leaving my body altogether.

**Review please.**


	20. Chapter 20

Human to Gargoyle 20

My eyes opened to a bright white light waking up in an unfamiliar room, a white room. The wall beside me was covered in long vertical blinds and over my head the glaring lights blinded me. I was propped up on a hard uneven bed, a bed with rails. The pillows were flat and lumpy. I could hear an annoying beeping sound somewhere close by. I hoped that meant I was still alive. Death shouldn't be this uncomfortable.

My hands were all twisted up with clear tubes and something was taped across my face under my nose. I lifted my hands to rip them off.

"No, you don't." Cool fingers caught my hand.

"Brooklyn," I whispered. Turning my head slightly I found his exquisite face inches from mine his chin resting on the edge of the pillow. I realized again that I was alive, this time with gratitude and elation. "Oh Brooklyn, I's so sorry!"

"Shh," he shushed me, "everything's all right now."

"What happened," I asked. I couldn't remember clearly and my mind rebelled against me as I tried to recall.

"I was almost too late. I could've been too late," he whispered, tormented.

"I was so stupid, Brooklyn. I thought we had gotten through to him," I said.

"He tricked us all," said Brooklyn.

"How long have I been out," I asked.

About three days," answered Brooklyn.

"Three days," I exclaimed, "I need to call my school."

"Elisa called them," said Brooklyn. "She is here – well here in the infirmary. She's getting something to eat right now."

"She's here," I asked. I tried to sit up, but the spinning in my own head accelerated and his hand pushed me gently back down onto the pillows.

"You need to stay still," he said, gently.

I sighed and it hurt. I stared down at my body under the sheets and saw that there were bandages covering up most of my body. "How bad am I," I asked.

"You have a broken leg, four cracked ribs, bruises covering every inch of your skin, and you've lost a lot of blood. You were shot in the chest and the stomach. They gave you a few transfusions to help you regain the blood you've lost," said Brooklyn.

"How did you do it," I whispered.

Knowing what I meant at once, Brooklyn answered "I'm not sure." He looked away from my wondering eyes lifting my gauze-wrapped hand from the bed and held it gently in his. Brooklyn was careful not to disrupt the wire connecting me to one of the monitors.

I waited patiently for the rest.

Sighing, without turning from my gaze, he whispered "It was impossible… to get here as fast as I did. Impossible, but I did." He looked up with a half-smile. "I must love you."

"I'm sorry," I apologized.

Raising his eyes to the ceiling, Brooklyn said "Of all the things to apologize for…"

"What should I apologize for," I asked, head cocked.

Brooklyn answered "For nearly taking yourself away from me forever."

"I'm sorry," I apologized again.

"I know why you did it," he said, comfortingly, "It was still irrational, of course."

"You wouldn't have let me do it," I said.

"No," he agreed, grimly, "I wouldn't."

Some very unpleasant memories were beginning to come back to me. I shuddered and then winced. He was instantly anxious.

"Sata, what's wrong," he asked.

"What happened to Otto-san," I said.

"After he shot you the police wrestled him down and took away his gun. They took care of him," reassured Brooklyn. There was a fierce note of regret in his voice and I knew what he was thinking.

"What happened to Castaway," I asked.

Brooklyn said "He somehow managed to escape us and so did most of his men, but don't worry we'll find them. I'll make sure of it."

I tried to reach his face with my free hand, but something stopped me. I glanced down to see the IV pulling at my hand. "Ugh." I winced.

"What is it," he asked, anxiously, but not enough. The bleakness did not entirely leave his eyes.

"Needles," I explained, looking away from the one in my hand. I concentrated on a warped ceiling tile and tried to breathe deeply despite the ache in my ribs.

"Afraid of a needle," muttered Brooklyn, shaking his head. "Oh a bunch of brutes intent on torturing her to death, sure no problem, she meets them head on. An IV, on the other hand…"

I rolled my eyes. I was pleased to discover that this reaction at least was pain free. He stared at me first confusion and then hurt touching his eyes. His brows pulled together as he frowned.

"Do you want me to leave," he asked.

"No," I protested, horrified by the very thought. "No, I want you here. I need you here with me."

"Oh," he said, and his forehead smoothed back to normal. "You have nothing to worry about, I promise." He stroked my cheek with the lightest of touches. "Your only job now is to heal."

I wasn't so lost to the soreness or the fog of medication that I didn't respond to his touch. The beeping of the monitor jumped around erratically. Now he wasn't the only one who could hear my heart misbehave.

"That's going to be embarrassing," I muttered.

He chuckled and a speculative look came into his eyes. "Hmm, I wonder," he said.

Brooklyn leaned in slowly, the beeping noise accelerated wildly before his lips even touched me, but when they did though with the most gently of pressure the beeping stopped altogether. He pulled back abruptly his anxious expression turning to relief as the monitor reported the restarting of my heart.

"It seems I'm going to have to be even more careful with you than usual," he said, frowning.

"I wasn't finished kissing you," I complained. "Don't make me come over there."

Brooklyn grinned and bent to press his lips lightly to mine. The monitor went wild, but then his lips were taut.

He pulled away, saying "I think I hear the nurse.

"Don't leave me," I cried, an irrational surge of panic flooding through me. I couldn't let him go he might disappear from me again.

He read the terror in my eyes for a short second. "I won't," he promised solemnly, smiling.

A nurse came bustling in then to check all my tubes and wires. My lover kissed my forehead, patted my gauzed wrapped hand and leaned back in his seat. The nurse was checking the paper readout on my heart monitor.

"Are you feeling anxious honey? Your heart rate got a little high there," she asked.

"I'm fine," I assured.

"I'll tell your RN that you're awake. She'll be in to see you in a minute," she said.

As soon as she closed the door Brooklyn was at my side again. He said "Listen, Sata, I've been thinking maybe it's best if I don't come see you anymore."

"What do you mean," I asked.

Looking down while he answered he almost smiled, but not quite and then his face was grave. He said "I would stay some place where I couldn't hurt you anymore."

It didn't sink in at first. I continued to stare at him blankly as the words one by one clicked into place in my head like a ghastly puzzle. I was barely conscious of the sound of my heart accelerating through as my breath became hyperventilation. I was aware of the sharp aching in my protesting ribs. He didn't say anything to me. He watched my face warily as the pain that had nothing to do with broken pains, pain that was infinitely worst threatened to crush me.

And then another nurse walked purposefully into the room. Brooklyn at still as stone as she took in my expression with a practiced eye before turning to the monitors.

"Time for more pain meds, sweetheart," she asked kindly, tapping the IV feed.

"No, no," I mumbled, trying to keep the agony out of my voice, "I don't need anything." I couldn't afford to close my eyes now.

"No need to be brave, honey. It's better if you don't get too stressed out you need to rest." She waited, but I only shook my head. "Ok," she sighed, "hit the call button when you're ready." She gave Brooklyn a stern look and threw one more anxious glance at the machinery before leaving.

His cool hands were on my face. I stared at him with wild eyes.

"Sh, Sata, calm down," he said.

"Don't leave me," I begged, voice broken.

"I won't," he promised, "now relax before I call the nurse back to sedate you." But my heart couldn't slow. "Sata," he stroked my face anxiously, "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here as long as you need me."

"Do you swear you won't leave me," I whispered. I tried to control the gasping at least. My ribs were throbbing.

Brooklyn put his hands on either side of my face and brought his face close to mine. His eyes were wide and serious. "I swear," he said, softly.

The smell of his breath was soothing. It seemed to ease the ache of my own breathing. He continued to hold my gaze while my body slowly relaxed and the beeping returned to a normal pace. His eyes were dark as I looked into them.

"Better," he asked.

"Yes," I said, cautiously.

He shook his head and muttered something unintelligible. I thought I picked out the word "overreaction". "Why do you say that," I whispered, trying to keep my voice from shaking. "Are you tired of having to save me all the time? Do you want me to go away?"

"No, I don't want to be without you Sata, of course not. Be rational and I have no problem with saving you either. If it weren't for the fact that I was the one putting you in danger… that I'm the reason you're here," said Brooklyn.

"Yes, you are the reason," I said, frowning, "the reason I'm here – alive."

"Barely," said Brooklyn, voice just a whisper, "covered in gauze, plaster, and hardly able to move."

"I wasn't referring to my most recent near death experience," I said, growing irritated. "I was thinking of the others – you can take your pick. If it weren't or you I would be rotting away in the cemetery."

Brooklyn winced at my words, but the haunted look didn't leave his eyes. "That's not the worst part through," he continued, whispering. He acted as if I hadn't spoken. "Not seeing you there on the ground…crumpled and broken." His voice was choked. "Not thinking I was too late. Not even hearing you scream in pain. All of those unbearable memories that I'll carry with me feeling…knowing I might not be able to save you."

"But you did," I said.

He said "I couldn't have so easily."

I knew I needed to stay calm, but he was trying to talk himself into leaving me. The panic fluttered in my lungs trying to get out. "Promise me," I whispered.

"What," he asked.

"You know what," I said. I was starting to get angry now. He was so stubbornly determined to dwell on the negative.

He heard the change in my tone. His eyes tightened up. "I don't seem to be strong enough to stay away from you. So I suppose you'll get your way…whether it hills you or not," Brooklyn added, roughly.

"Good." He hadn't promised, though a fact that I had not missed. The panic was only barely contained and I had no strength left to control the anger. "Look I'll be the first to admit I have no experience with relationships," I said, "but it just seems logical…a man and woman have to be somewhat equal as in one of them can't always be swooping in and saving the other. They have to save each other equally."

Brooklyn folded his arms on the side of my bed and rested his chin on his arms. His expression was smooth, the anger reined in. Evidently he'd decided he wasn't angry with me. "You have saved me," he said, quietly.

"I can't always be Lois Lane," I insisted, "I want to be Superman too."

"You don't know what you're asking," said Brooklyn. His voice was soft and he stared intently at the edge of the pillowcase.

"I think I do," I said.

"Sata, you don't know," said Brooklyn.

"You are my life. You're the only thing it would hurt me to lose." I was getting better at this. It was easy to admit how much I needed him.

Brooklyn was very calm…Decided. I took a deep breath to calm myself ignoring the spasm of pain it triggered. I stared at him and he stared back. There was no compromise on his face. We stared at each other for a very long time. It was quiet except for the whirring of the machines, the beeping, the dripping, ticking of the big clock on the wall. Finally his expression softened up.

"So where does that leave us," I wondered.

Chuckling, humorlessly, Brooklyn said "I believe it's called an impasse."

Sighing, I muttered "Ouch."

"How are you feeling," asked Brooklyn, eyeing the button for the nurse.

"I'm fine," I lied.

"I don't believe you," he said, gently, seeing right through me.

"I'm not going back to sleep," I stated.

"You need rest. All this arguing isn't good for you," said Brooklyn.

"So give in," I hinted.

"Nice try," he said, reaching for the button.

"No," I shouted.

He ignored me.

"Yes," the speaker on the wall squawked.

"I think we're ready for more pain medication," said Brooklyn, calmly, ignoring my furious expression.

"I'll send in the nurse," said the person on the other end, sounding bored.

"I won't take it," I promised.

Brooklyn looked toward the sack of fluids handing beside my bed. "I don't think they're going to ask you to swallow anything," he said, chuckling.

My heart rate immediately stated to climb.

He read the fear in my eyes and sighing in frustration, he said "Sata, you're in pain. You need to relax so you can heal. Why are you being so difficult? They're not going to put any more needles in you now."

"I'm not afraid of the needles," I mumbled. "I'm afraid to close my eyes."

He then gave me his crooked smile and took my face between his hands. He said "I told you I'm not going anywhere. Don't be afraid. As long as it makes you happy, I'll be here."

I smiled back ignoring the ache in my cheeks. I said "You're talking about forever you know."

Brooklyn said "Oh you'll get over it it's just a crush."

Shaking my head in disbelief, making be dizzy, I said "I know you know better than that."

"That's the beauty bout being human," he said, "things change."

"Don't hold your breath," I said, eyes narrowed.

He was laughing when the nurse came in brandishing a syringe. "Excuse me," she said, brusquely to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn got up and crossed to the end of the small room leaning against the wall. He folded his arms and waited. I kept my eyes on him still apprehensive. He met my gaze calmly.

"Here you go honey," said the nurse, smiling. She injected the medicine into my tube, "you'll feel better now."

"Thanks," I mumbled, unenthusiastic.

It didn't take long. I could feel the drowsiness trickling through my bloodstream almost immediately. "That ought to do it," muttered the nurse as my eyelids dropped.

She must have left the room because something cold and smooth touched my face.

"Stay," I said, voice slurred.

"I will," said Brooklyn. His voice sounded beautiful like a lullaby. "Like I said as long as it makes you happy…as long as it's what's best for you."

I tried to shake my head, but it was too heavy. "It's not the same thing," I murmured.

Laughing, Brooklyn said "Don't worry about that now, Sata, you can argue all you want with me when you wake up."

Smiling, I said "Ok."

I could feel his lips at my hair. "I love you," he whispered.

"Me too," I returned.

"I know," he laughed, quietly.

I turned my head slightly…searching. He knew what I was after here. His lips touched mine gently.

"Thanks," I sighed.

"Anytime," he said, smiling.

I wasn't really there at all anymore, but I fought against the stupor however weakly it was. There was just one more thing I wished to tell him. "Brooklyn," I said, struggling to pronounce his name clearly.

"Yes," he said.

"My heart," I said, breathlessly, "is forever yours."

"As is mine to you," he same, a faint smile on his lips as he spoke this.

Everything became a haze and I was out again within a few seconds. Brooklyn's face was the last thing I saw from my eyes before I returned back to slumber.

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	21. Chapter 21

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 21

Outside the room there were others watching us out in the hallway through a transparent part of the wall. Elisa was back and she was watching us with sad eyes. They could see us, but we couldn't see them. Elisa was drinking some water and Goliath as he was wearing a thoughtful look on his face. It looked like he was thinking quite hard on something.

Goliath and Elisa both noticed the Xanatos family coming toward them, but didn't say anything as they approached these two. None of the other members of the clan were anywhere in sight of the castles infirmary. They all had other things on their minds and plenty of things to do this night.

"Greetings, Goliath," said Xanatos.

Goliath merely grunted and nodded his head at Xanatos in reply.

Fox moved over to stand by Elisa carrying young Alexander in her arms. "How long has he been in there," she asked, staring at Brooklyn sitting at the side of my bed.

"He's never left her side," answered Goliath. "Brooklyn won't go on patrols with his friend like this."

Elisa let out a laugh when she heard this come out of Goliath. She said "Oh, they are most definitely more than friends, Goliath, especially after what we just witnessed here."

Elisa was right on the mark with this one. A few minutes ago before the Xanatos family arrived in the infirmary they had seen everything which occurred though they couldn't hear anything that was said. Goliath and Elisa could clearly see all of the affection and love passing between Brooklyn and I. They had a clear view of all of the passion in our faces and the kissed we shared inside. They viewed the argument, but not what had transferred. They were pleased to see the argument was passed over and replaced with the affection of our love. Not long after the nurse had returned and sedated me. Then I returned to sleeping again.

"Yes," said Goliath, "I guess you're right."

Xanatos turned his attention over to Elisa. "What news do you have for us, Miss Maza," he asked.

Without hesitation Elisa gave all of them the information she had learned outside. "Well I have good and bad news to give you," she said.

Xanatos said "Well then let's hear it."

"The bad news is that nearly half of the Quarrymen we had captured three days ago have been released," said Elisa.

"What," Goliath exclaimed.

Fox said "This is terrible. How could the courts just let them go like that?"

"They didn't," said Elisa. They all now looked at Elisa in surprise and she quickly explained. "The ones which were released got out on bail. The courts would've kept them imprisoned if they could, but they honestly couldn't do anything about it once the money for them was paid. Fortunately, for us the prices for the bails of the rest of the Quarrymen that remain are quite high. The courts have made sure the most dangerous of the one captured won't be able to leave as quickly as the others."

Fox said "There is something David and I would like answered, Elisa."

"As do I," said Goliath.

Elisa said "Go right ahead."

"Fox and I heard from some of my agents that the Quarrymen are made up of assassins, mercenaries, and bounty hunters these days. Is it true," said Xanatos.

Nodding, Elisa said "Yes, it's true. When we put the ones we had captured through a background check we discovered their identities and what their occupations were. Turns out many of them already had warrants for their arrests before this happened. Even though we weren't able to capture many we were lucky to capture the ones we did."

"This is a good sign," said Goliath, confidently nodding his head at the idea. "It shows that Castaway is losing the confidence of the people in the city. This can be very useful if this is drawn out into a battle."

Fox said "What about the good news, Elisa? What about the other piece of information you have for us?"

A wide smile appeared on Elisa's face when this was asked of her. She said "Yes, I do have good news and you are certainly going to like this."

"Out with it, Elisa," urged Goliath.

Grinning, Elisa said "Yoshi Sagara has been sentenced to twenty five years in prison with absolutely no chance of bail."

"Yoshi Sagara, you mean Sata's father," questioned Goliath.

"That's exactly who I mean, Goliath," said Elisa.

Smiles came onto the faces of Goliath, Xanatos, and Fox.

"Excellent," said Goliath.

"This is fantastic," said Xanatos.

Fox was the only one who seemed to be a bit worries about it. She said "Wait if he gets a parole or is released on food behavior."

Elisa waved away Fox's concern, saying "That's already been taken care of a restraining order has been made. If he gets within two hundred feet of her when he gets out of prison he'll be arrested again. Also, since he's a known killer he'll be watched constantly even when he gets out."

Then a voice came out from behind them, saying "What if he does try to claim her again?"

They all turned in surprise to find Brooklyn standing somewhat behind them. He had come out unnoticed by any of them. Alex giggled and stretched out his small arms toward Brooklyn. Brooklyn came over and took Alexander into his arms much to the boys delight. Brooklyn smiled down at the child in his arms. After a moment he then looked back up at Elisa.

"Well," he asked.

"Not to worry about, Brooklyn, once she turns eighteen her father won't be able to put a claim on her. As of right now she's completely free of him," Elisa assured Brooklyn.

Sighing in relief, Brooklyn said "That's good Sata will be extremely happy when I tell her this and everything else you have told us. She was very upset about her father shooting her. He almost killed her."

Goliath said "We know that, Brooklyn, there's nothing to worry about anymore. She and her father will have nothing more to do with each other after this."

Brooklyn let out another big sigh and looked through the transparent part of the wall to where I was sleeping. As he did so a very important thought came into his mind. He asked "What about when she's healed? Where will she live? The Quarrymen know where Sata stays she can't go back there."

Everyone there could tell he was worried by the sound of his voice. It caused them all to re-think things too.

"That is a problem," said Elisa, tapping her chin.

Goliath said "There has to be someplace where she'll be safe."

They all went into deep though trying to think about where I could go and even little Alex was trying to help out too.

"Here," said Alexander.

All looked to the boy in surprise.

"What did you say, Alex," asked Brooklyn.

"Here," said Alex, grinning.

Raising a brow ridge, Brooklyn asked "You mean here in the castle?"

Alex nodded his head seriously, yes.

Snapping his fingers, Xanatos said "Hey now that's not a bad idea. After all we do have plenty of room here for her to stay."

Fox was in agreement with her husband, but Elisa was shaking her head, no, at the idea.

Elisa said "I'm afraid that won't work."

Xanatos and Fox had a hard time understanding the reason why.

"Why is that," asked Fox.

Explaining herself, Elisa said "Sata still goes to school and even with her graduating this year she'll have to keep going in and out of this place in order to go. Any Quarrymen looking out for her may get suspicious and start to investigate."

Goliath was now nodding his head in understanding along with Brooklyn. They both got what Elisa was saying a few seconds after each other.

Brooklyn said "So the Quarrymen may trace Sata's whereabouts back here."

"And with her us," said Goliath.

Elisa said "That's exactly what I'm saying."

Xanatos said "I admit it could definitely cause problems for us if they found out where you were, but we could easily work around such hindrances."

"And how exactly would that be," questioned Elisa.

Fox and Xanatos then went into explanation of how they could work this. They had multiple exits, entrances, and cars they could use in order to keep people off of my trail. With those in use it would be difficult for someone to think I'd be going there back and forth regularly.

By the end of it Elisa was reluctantly nodding. She said "If you're able to pull that off than I'll it. If Sata agrees to do so then we'll have to move her things in carefully so no one notices anything."

"Of course," said Fox.

Looking at her watch, Elisa said "I'd love to stay here more, but right now I have to be somewhere." With this Elisa started moving down the hallway for the elevator at the end. She needed to go down a few other hallways to do so.

Goliath called "Elisa!"

"I'll be back," she said, turning down a separate hallway and moved out of their sight.

Brooklyn looked back at me asleep on the bed, saying "I should be getting back to Sata." Brooklyn handed Alexander back over to his parents, but not before giving him a small hug first.

As he was handed back to his parents Alexander let out a big yawn. It was time for him to go to sleep.

"Come along, son, time for you to go to bed," said Fox. She then proceeded to take her son down to his sleeping quarters with Xanatos following them close behind.

Goliath remained where he was with Brooklyn. My beloved was about to walk back into my hospital room when a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Excuse me, Brooklyn."

Brooklyn and Goliath turned to find Owen coming up the hallway toward the two of them.

"Yes, Owen, what is it," asked Brooklyn. He said this quickly it was obvious he wanted to be back ar my side before I woke up again from my slumber.

Owen went past Goliath and up to Brooklyn. He said "I just thought you might like this back." He then took something he was carrying, unnoticed by the two gargoyles, from under his arms and held it out to Brooklyn.

Brooklyn looked down at the object to see what it was before taking it. When he did so the impatient expression he was wearing turned into a much softer one. What Owen was holding out to him was the picture of my Okaa-san holding me as a tiny little infant. Brooklyn took the photograph from Owen with a grateful look on his face.

"Thank you, Owen," said Brooklyn, "I'm sure Sata will be very happy to see this again especially after what she's been through."

Owen said "That's what I thought." He then turned his attention over to Goliath. "Hudson would like to have a word with you, Goliath. He's waiting in your quarters."

Nodding, Goliath said "All right." He then spoke to Brooklyn. "Will you be all right down here?"

"Yes," answered Brooklyn.

Without further delay Goliath left the infirmary with Owen to find Hudson while Brooklyn re-entered my hospital room. I was out cold and couldn't really hear anything, but Brooklyn quietly closed the door as if not to wake me up. Once that was done Brooklyn walked over to me and saw back down on the chair set up beside my hospital bed. The whole time he didn't take his eyes off of my face. To him my face looked so lovely and peaceful when I was asleep. He placed the picture of Okaa-san on a small table beside the bed. He got comfortable in his seat knowing he was going to be there for a while. Brooklyn was going to keep up his vigil at my side for as long as he needed to.

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	22. Chapter 22

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 22

The sound of frantic beeping reached Brooklyn's ears forcing him out of the deep sleep he'd found himself in while sitting beside the bed in Sata's hospital room. The moment he opened his eyes and looked towards the bed he instantly shot out from his seat, shouting "Sata!"

On the bed Sata was convulsing under the sheets shaking uncontrollably. Getting up he tried to stop her shaking calling out for her to wake up, but with no luck of any change. Rushing for the door, frantic, Brooklyn shouted "Help! Someone help! We need a doctor!"

Brooklyn then went back over to Sata still trying to keep her still. "It's going to be all right, Sata," he reassured, although he wasn't sure if he wasn't trying to reassure her or himself, "It's going to be all right."

It was then that the private Xanatos family doctor came rushing in with a few nurses following behind him. Immediately the entire group of them forced Brooklyn away from the bed so they could set to work. The doctor was shouting orders to the nurses in order to get Sata stable. Brooklyn heard one of them say she was seizing.

Seconds afterwards Broadway and Lexington appeared on the doorway having being nearby when Brooklyn yelled for help.

"What's going on," said Lex, concerned.

"I don't know," said Brooklyn. "We were sleeping and she just suddenly started having a seizure. I don't know what's wrong?"

"I thought you said the doctors spoke of how she was going to be all right now," said Broadway confused.

"That's what they told me," said Brooklyn, running a hand over his head and hair.

Suddenly the beeping from the machines hooked up to Sata went so fast the entire thing flat lined. The nurses stayed at their positions while the doctor went over to the three gargoyles shoving them out saying "Out everyone out now!"

"No! No," shouted Brooklyn, frantically fighting to get in, but Broadway and Lex pulled him out while the doctor shut the door in his face. "Sata! Sata!"

**Authors note: Sorry this is so short. Just thought you guys should have something after such a long wait.**

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	23. Chapter 23

**Authors Note: Here it is the moment you've all been waiting for. I hope you enjoy it.**

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 23

On his knees Brooklyn wept his grief and sorrow tears pouring from his eyes. One hand was covering his face while the other was clutching the side of the metal slab table in front of him. On the surface was the cause of his ever increasingly painful agony.

Laid clean and pristine on the cold metal as if she was sleeping was Sata her body as cold as the harshest of winters. Brooklyn and the other gargoyles had fallen into slumber not long after the doctors had gone to work at trying to save her life. Her body had faced severe trauma after going through a major seizure and despite their best efforts had been unable to save her. They'd lost the battle only a mere three hours before the sun had set. Brooklyn had rushed to the infirmary immediately after waking up and after he'd learned what had happened he was inconsolable. It took both of his brothers to calm him down, but even then the grief was nearly too much to bear. While the others left to give him some privacy he remained by her side.

Finally after what seemed like hours Brooklyn rose from his knelt position restraining the tears glistening in his eyes. Taking a hand he reached out as if to stroke to her face, but halted just as he was about to do so. He returned it to his side forming his talons into a fist. Full of regret and remorse, Brooklyn said "I'm sorry."

Brooklyn then turned and slowly walked out of the infirmary his wings dropped until the tips were dragging on the floor his shoulders slack. Unknown to him a tear had managed to escape the corner of his eye and landed at the edge of her lips beyond his observation. Then when he left the infirmary the completely unexpected happened.

The teardrop fell through her lips and slipped into her throat. For a few minutes nothing occurred, but then…

Out of nowhere an aurora of light radiated from Sata's body and her form was lifted until it was hovering above the table. Something amazing happened as a transformation seemed to take over re-shaping her entirely.

Sata's skin color altered changing from a pale white to a teal green. Small horns sprouted from the top of her head. Her hands and feet shifted from fingers and toes into talons. A long tail grew from the rear until it reached the length as those of the others and finally…From her back came the wings in all of their magnificence. At first they were curled, but then they unfurled spreading in all of their beauty and glory. As soon as the transformation was finished her body lowered it until it was lying in the same position as when Brooklyn was in the room.

Somehow someway…Sata had been turned from a human to gargoyle.

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	24. Chapter 24

Human to Gargoyle Chapter 24

Slowly I began to come to steadily opening my eyes to a blinding flash of light. Head pounding and vision foggy it took a little while to get my bearings. At first I thought I was dead getting the impression I'd reached the next life, but as my vision cleared the fog dissipating it soon became apparent this was not the case.

Groaning I sat up bringing a hand up to my head trying to ease the headache, saying "Well that was extremely unpleasant. Certainly don't want to go through that again."

Suddenly as I was running a hand through my hair I felt something unusual hit my fingers. "What the…," I muttered, feeling around and soon realized it wasn't a piece of hospital equipment.

Eyes snapping open headache forgotten I slowly brought my left hand up to the top of my head with it eventually locating the second object identical to the first. It was official there were two identical horns on my head sticking through my hair. Also, now that my eyes were open I could see this pair of horns wasn't the only thing altered about me. Eyes wide I looked down and in that instant I shot off of the metal table I was sitting on the moment I saw my skin was no longer pale, but was a pure dark green. That wasn't all I felt movement behind me and when I turned to see what it was I froze when I saw the tail sticking out of my butt ceasing movement the second I froze. Looking further I saw the wings folded against my back. Flexing my back muscles I saw the wings move with them.

Snapping my hands to my mouth barely smothering the whimper threatening to escape my legs immediately gave out on me forcing me to curl up on myself into a tight ball. "What the hell has happened to me," I whispered, confused.

"I can answer that for you."

Jumping at the sound of the unfamiliar voice I turned on the spot knocking some things down from some nearby tables in the process unavoidable because of the wings and tail getting in the way. Hovering in the air not too far away was someone that could only be described as someone coming straight out of a book of magical fables. He was wearing clothes similar to those from Robin Hood, long white hair, and pointed ears which could only describe him as a fairy or an elf. Sitting in his lap giggling with glee clapping his hands was a little toddler I instantly recognized as Alexander Xanatos from his multiple appearances with his Mother and Father on the news.

Holding onto a neighboring table for support, cautious, I inquired "Who are you?"

Bowing as far as he could go with his legs crossed and a toddler in his lap, he said "I am Puck, Puck the Trickster. You may know from a work of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream."

Oh yeah once he said that memories flooded in from school. Puck was a member of what is known as the fair folk one of Oberon's many children who was the King of the fairies. I'd read all about them for one of my past classes, but I never came close to imagining they were real.

Swallowing the lump forming in my throat, I stuttered "Y-You said you c-could explain what's happened to me."

"Oh I can do much more than that," grinned Puck, a knowing glint flashing on his face a twinkle in his eyes. When I tilted my head to the side confused he elaborated by snapping his fingers and instantly a large mirror as tall as myself appeared hovering feet in front of me.

It was then all was revealed. In truth I was looking at a reflection of myself, but at the same time I was unrecognizable. Gone was my human form replaced now with the body of a female gargoyle. Stepping till my face was merely inches from the reflective glass I only stared absorbing it all in observation the shock just beginning to wear off.

"Look at that I'm a gargoyle," I whispered, rubbing my hands as I took in the talons on each one along with the three on my feet. Then I brought my hands back to my face rubbing the tips of my fingers on my cheeks doing a double check making sure they were real. A few seconds later I returned to just staring at the image in front of me not knowing how this even happened. Bewildered she remained there speechless just staring…staring…

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

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